A Hidden Secret
by Twin Girls
Summary: To escape, Kayla ran away disguised as a boy. She meets Tasuki and joins him in his destiny as a Suzaku seishi. As their friendship grows, Kayla fears that her secret identity will be revealed to the women-hating seishi. What is she going to do?
1. A Deceptive Promise

Gemini: Well here is our _first_ disclaimer for our _first_ chapter, our _first _fanfiction ever, our _first_ attempt to write a Fushigi Yuugi fic, our _first_....

Cancer: (Hits Gemini with a mallet). Just write the disclaimer you BAKA!!! I want to see how

this chapter goes!!!

Gemini: (Sweatdrops) Alright, alright, (starts mumbling incoherent words)

**Disclaimer: We, Twin Girls do not own Fushigi Yuugi. This amazing anime was created by Yuu Watase, Flower Comics, Shogakukan, Bandai, TV Tokyo, Movic, Studio Pierrot, and by the U.S. companies, Viz Communications and Pioneer (got the info out of this really cool FY site: ). We are very poor, and we only created Kayla and her family in this fic.**

Gemini: There are you happy?

Cancer: (Sweatdrops). You didn't have to be _THAT _specific with the disclaimers...

Gemini: Kami-sama!! You are so hard to satisfy!!!

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**Chapter 1 – A Deceptive Promise**

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A little girl with long black hair tied in two messy buns on top of her head ran down a dusty dirt road towards a little shack. A place she had considered as her home during all 11 years of her young life. In her arms she was holding an unidentifiable object hidden underneath a pale dirty cloth. 

The clothes on the little girl were a little better off than rags, but not by that much. However the 11 year old didn't care, nor did she care how the dust were dirtying her hands and face as she was running as fast as her legs could carry her. She had been out for too long and her father would worry about her. Not to mention that she had something important to show him.

"Otosan I'm home!" she cried excitedly as she burst through the front door of her home.

"Kayla-chan is that you? Where were you? I was so worried," answered her father when he came out of his room. He brought a handkerchief to his mouth to muffle his coughing. 

"I'm sorry Otosan but I was busy" Kayla apologized and eagerly held out the bundle in her arms for her father to see. "Look what I've found!"

"What have you got there?" asked the 50-year-old father, Hiroshi, as he watched his daughter unfolded the blanket to reveal to mysterious object underneath.

To his surprise, it was a tiny blue-feathered bird that must have been beautiful back then, but at the moment its feathers were more close to a deathly grey colour from the dirt and what looked like dry blood. One might mistaken it to be dead if not for the weak rising of the tiny bird's chest, indicating that it was still breathing and very much alive for the moment being.

"I saved him from Taiijun and his mean friends who shot it down from the sky with a rock.... they were hurting him so I saved him and ran away with the bird... he is still hurt from big, mean Taiijun, so can we take care of it and keep it as a pet PRETTY, PRETTY PLEASE Otosan" explained Kayla and inhaled deeply again after saying all that in only one breath.

Her father blinked for a moment, still amazed of his daughter excessive talking. Although, he shouldn't be surprised for after all he _had_ raised her all on his own for 6 six years since her beloved mother had died when she was only 5. 

"How _exactly_ _did_ you saved this little bird from big, mean Taiijun?" asked her father suspiciously although he already had guessed the answer. 

"Ummm.... I.... well...." Kayla was clearly caught in an uncomfortable position with her head lowered and her feet shifting. She didn't want to lie to her father. She_ couldn't _tell a lie even if her life was depending on it. She took a peek at her father and saw the sternness on his face, still waiting for her to answer. "Ummmm.... I kind of well.... snuck up on him and his friends and....." she trailed into mumbling incoherently. 

"Yes and....?" her father was clearly getting impatient.

"... and punch him and his friends on the nose and ran away with the bird" she finished, trying not to smile as memories of the earlier incident occurred in her mind, when she had mostly broken that baka Taiijun's nose. Despite her tiny appearance, she was pretty strong for an 11-year-old girl. _Correction 11 and a half_ she mentally corrected herself. It was going to be her birthday in 2 weeks and 3 days. 

The father sighed heavily and sat on a chair, suddenly feeling very tired "Kayla..." her father began sternly.

"I know... I know Otosan" interrupted Kayla, "no fighting with other children in the village or beating them up what-so-ever" _Even if they asked for it_ she mentally added.

"Exactly!!.... I taught you a little self-defence so that you can defend yourself when you're in trouble, not to _cause_ trouble" said the father. He clearly didn't know whether to be upset or laugh at the whole picture. He was upset that his daughter was having trouble interacting with other children in the village. He had tried his best to raise his daughter, but clearly Kayla was still lacking the feminine touch that only a mother could provide for her daughter. _What would you do if you're in my position dear Masume_, he wondered. He missed his wife dearly after all these years, especially at times like this where her patience and guidance could come in handy. Although he was trying his best, he knew his own condition and health. He realized that his daughter somehow knew that he was sick. However, she was still too young to understand the serverity of his.... illness.... and that he could very well di.... he quickly compressed the thought to the very back of his mind... _no need to think about it now_.

On a brighter note, he found himself suppressing a chuckle of amusement as he watched his dear daughter cuddling the little bird in her arms and picturing how she had beat the poor boy, Taiijun who was bigger than her by half her size. Although if what his daughter said was true, he had probably did deserved it. It was really funny, however that was beside the point and he was not going to let her daughter believe that fighting was right. Yet if he were to ask himself honestly, he felt a tint of…. _pride_. Pride for his daughter that she had fought for what she had believed in and had a deep compassion for all big and small living things. A feature that reminded him so much of her mother. 

"I'm sorry Otosan please don't be mad, Taiijun-bak... I mean Taiijun-san didn't know it was me because it was kind of dark and I doubt he saw my face when I hurt his nose and I was really fast and quick so I didn't get caught" replied Kayla, trying the hide the little pride in her voice as she spoke. 

His daughter's speaking quickly brought Hiroshi out of his thoughts and back to the situation at hand. "Well, what's done is done.... can't go back and change what had happened" he said slowly.

"So you aren't mad and I won't be punished?!?!?!" asked Kayla, her large expressive golden brown eyes shone with hope.

Hiroshi laughed "No, I won't be mad, however...." he paused, "however you are not off the hook either. You are still going to get punished for breaking your promise." 

"But, but, but" Kayla stammered when she heard the last part.

"No buts, you will go and clean up the little messy room of yours."

Kayla mouth dropped forming a perfect "O". _Oh well I got off better than I thought, and I was so positive that father was going to hit the roof for sure_ she thought. Kayla didn't mind if she had to go clean up her room for her punishment. BUT what she really hated the most was that USUALLY during her process of cleaning, she will find _spiders_ crawling in and out of the broken window and cracked walls in her room. She was _deathly_ afraid of spiders. 

"Yes Otosan" she mumbled as she slowly left, but stopped. "What about him? Can we keep him, I will take very good care of him," She asked indicating the still weakened bird in her arms. 

Her father looked at the bird gravely, he could tell that it was still alive. However it didn't hide the fact that it was in terrible condition and looked as if it was hanging on to its life by only a thread. He knew that the bird will die eventually and his daughter will be heartbroken. He didn't know what to tell his daughter.

Kayla looked at her father's grave face and could tell immediately what her father was thinking. For someone who was only 11 years old, she could be surprisingly perceptive at times. "No.... Otosan!! It can't be true.... I won't let it happen! I won't let him die! I'll take good care of him and he'll heal and he'll fly again, he'll...." Kayla couldn't stop the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. She saved this little bird and she was holding him in her hands, so small, and so delicate. 

"Kayla..." Hiroshi tried to calm his sobbing daughter. He brought her fingers up and wiped the tears from her face. The tears were mingling with the dirt on her face "All living things must die in the end.... just some earlier than others."

Kayla sniffed loudly "but it hurts Otosan," she said quietly "it's not fair. He's only an innocent little bird and so beautiful. I don't wanna lose him, I love him already like I love you Otosan" 

Hiroshi heart fell at his daughter's words, he really couldn't bare to see his daughter being so upset, and it hurt him just as much as it hurt his sweet Kayla. _And when the time comes, I don't know how she will survive,_ he thought gravely, thinking back to his health. S_he has to and she will be just as strong as her mother..._ "I'm sorry, Kayla-chan," he said softly as he gave his daughter a hug. "I know it hurts when someone you love dies, but they are never really truly gone if you keep them close in your heart as you treasure their memories." 

Kayla nodded numbly as she listened to her father. Despite her father's soothing words, she couldn't help but felt that there was something hidden behind those words. It was as if her father was trying to hide something from her. But why would her father hide anything from her? She quickly wiped away those feelings and she slowly began to dry her tears. "Thank you Otosan, I think I'll go clean my room now." She mentally shuddered at the thought of those disgustingly unnaturally large spiders again.   

Hiroshi let go of his daughter and smiled. "That's my little girl. You go on now." He slowly stood up... only to fall to the ground suddenly, coughing and shaking violently. Hiroshi suddenly found it very painful to breathe as he tried very hard to stop trembling. 

"Otosan are you alright!?!" Kayla cried as she ran to her father's side desperately, trying to help him back up so that he could sit back on the chair to rest. However he was too heavy for her small body to hold him up.

"I....I'm fine Kayla-chan" Hiroshi managed to breathe out as he closed his eyes tightly to suppressed the pain in his chest. Slowly, yet painfully he climbed to his feet, trying to ignore the rapid beatings of his heart. He looked into the eyes of his frightened daughter. Instantly regretting that he had scared his daughter so much. 

Kayla was deathly afraid for her father. She knew that he was sick but she had never seen him this way before. He was always her strong, brave father who she loved very much. A terrible feeling grasped coldly around her little heart. "Please.... please Otosan, don't leave me too" she cried softly, so soft that it was close to a whimper. 

Hiroshi looked at his daughter in alarmed and he didn't expect his daughter to understand the signs of his illness and pain. He had tried so hard to keep his illness as secretive as possible his daughter. Never wanting his happy daughter to worry. Yet, now as he drew closer to his end, he had wondered constantly if all this protectiveness had served to protect her or to only hurt her only more in the end. But then again there was never a decision to make in the first place for he couldn't bare the thought tell her. To admit to her the truth.

If people were to see Hiroshi's actions they may think he was being selfish. Yet they may see him as only human. That he was father who had loved his beautiful daughter more then anything in the world. And because of this fact, he had never told Kayla the truth. "Don't worry Kayla-chan.... I am not going anywhere... I promise," he said gently trying to soothe his beloved daughter. 

Kayla watched her father uncertainly as his trembling subsided heal from the earlier until it was almost gone. "You promise?" asked Kayla, she just had to make sure. She looked back at the bird still tucked in her arms. She won't let anything happen to this small creature nor will she let anything happen to her father. She will try very hard to take care of them. They will get well again and they can all be a family. 

"I promise," replied Hiroshi. _I am so sorry my dear Kayla. _He quietly cried in his heart. 

"Why don't you go clean your room now and then we'll have dinner later, I will make your favourite dishes. How about it?"

"O...k...." Kayla quietly whispered as she turned to go to her room. 

Unknowingly that this will the last time she will see her father's prideful yet sorrowful smile given only to her as she walked away.

Unnoticeably, the bird that she had come to love so much in such a short time had died half an hour later.

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**Authors' Note:**

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Gemini: Whew, what a LONG chapter, so...........what do you think Cancer? 

Cancer:.........

Gemini: Well, I think we've done a FANTASTIC job here, and you have to admit, we did spend most of our sleeping time working on this, so........... What do you think of our very first chapter?

Cancer:.........zZzZ.........zZzZ

Gemini: (Sweatdrops) what the heck do you think you're doing here you BAKA (wracks Cancer on the head)

Cancer: OUCH!!!!! (Rubbing her head with her hand). HEY you can't blame me for falling asleep, I mean LOOK, HALF OF THEM ARE SLEEPING rite now you know.

Gemini: Well.... (Sobbing) I know, but hey, I've tried my best you know, and it's quite essential to show the father-and-daughter relationship in this chapter.... (Sobbing harder)

Cancer: (Looking at Gemini sympathetically) sigh... dear dear (patting Gemini on the back), don't worry, I mean HEY look at the bright side, at least this chapter serves a very important purpose....

Gemini: Really?!?!? And what is that?!?! (looking at Cancer with shiny eyes)

Cancer: IT HYPNOTIZES PEOPLE AND CAUSING THEM TO FALL ASLEEP FASTER THAN USING THE SLEEPING PILLS!!!!! 

Gemini: *Sweatdrops* (Wracking Cancer on the head repetitively and throwing a chair at her, causing her to stick against the wall) HUMPH!!!! Well, sorry guys, but we promise that this story will go SOMEWHERE very soon, so please be patient, thank you very much and see ya next time.


	2. Fear and Determination

Disclaimer: We, Twin Girls do NOT own Fushigi Yuugi and it's storyline. It belongs to Yuu Watase and other large corporations in which we have no part of or else we would be incredibly rich right now created it.

Gemini: (Holds onto Cancer and starts crying like mad) We don't own anything!! It's not fair!!!

Cancer: (Gently comforts Gemini) Well at least we have Kayla....

Gemini: (Suddenly cheers up, all tears gone as if she never had cried) Your right Cancer!! Thank  You, Thank You!!! (Hugs Cancer in a death grip)

Cancer: (Starts to turn blue) You're...._'choke' _ _... _welcome.... (Falls to the ground unconscious)

Gemini: (Sweatdrops) oops...hehehe.... I guess I don't know my own strength.... Enjoy the fic!!  (Runs away)

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**Chapter 2: Fear and Determination **

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_Where am I?_ Kayla asked herself while she was walking through the forest. Beautiful, tall, gigantic cedar trees surrounded her. A cool breeze with the scent of cedar blew across her face, causing her beautiful long black hair to flow back freely. The bright sunlight brought out the deep violet highlights of her hair, creating somewhat of a halo around her dark hair. As she walked deeper into the forest, pushing through rocks and bushes, she suddenly came to this clearing, where she found herself to be on the top of a cliff. Right before her was the sunset. Its beautiful glow brought out a golden colour that swallowed the whole sky. It was so magnificent that it stunned Kayla by its breathless view. _It's so beautiful_. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to relax under this gorgeous scenery. She didn't care how she had gotten here. All she wanted was to stay. 

Suddenly she felt as if someone was looking at her from behind. She slowly turned around to see whom it was and was shocked. A beautiful woman stood a few feet away from her. Her pure black hair with violet highlights was caught in the wind. Even though this woman had seemed like a distant memory to her, Kayla had no doubt in whom this woman could be. _Okasan?!?!?! Is that really you? _She asked silently, afraid to speak. Even their golden brown eyes were the same with its lively sparkle in each eye. _Otosan always said that I looked like my mother _Kayla thought fondly. Kayla then saw a man walked out from behind her mother, and as she took a closer look, she immediately recognized him. _Otosan?!? _Both of them were carrying a content smile on their faces. Smiles in which Kayla had not seen for a long, long time. Tears began to fall from Kayla's eyes as she saw her parents standing together hand-in-hand, smiling at her. Kayla, overwhelmed with the desire to hug them, to touch them, she immediately ran towards them. But as she began to run, her parents had slowly faded away. "Okasan, Otosan, don't leave!!! Onegai, Please don't leave me again, ...Why? Why did you break your promise Otosan?!?!....WHY?!?! Otosan!!!!" 

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16-year-old Kayla bolted up gasping for breath. She was covered with sweat, causing her dark bands to be matted against her forehead. _It was a dream_ she realized. _Another freakin' nightmare to haunt me, even after these last 5 damn years_. Her right hand automatically went up to grasp her necklace around her neck. It was an unconscious action in which she did every time when she was seeking for comfort or when she was haunted by nightmares of the memories of her parents' death. They always reminded her that she was very much alone in the world, especially right now. 

She looked down at her hand, still holding tightly onto the charm jewel of her necklace. Slowly she opened her palm to reveal the precious jewellery that had once belonged to her mother before she died. Kayla always wore it and never taken it off unless it was absolutely necessary, which was rare. Her father gave this necklace to her mother as a wedding gift and it was passed down to Kayla after her mother died. To her, it symbolized all the love that her father had for her mother and her as well. It was the only thing left that she had from her parents, her only comfort in her now miserable life in the past 5 years. 

She looked at her necklace again, at the first glance, it didn't look that special, the chain that was holding it together was in the colour of dull, plain silver. The jewel was no bigger than about half the size of her palm in which she could grasp easily. The jewel surrounded by silver was the colour of crimson red, almost like the colour of a ruby except it didn't sparkle as much. In fact, one may have mistaken it as a plain colour stone at the first glance. However, when one looked into it more deeply, they could see the inner glow it contained that seemed to spring into life, causing the jewel to shine with a hypnotizing inner beauty and light. _Almost like the flame of the fire _admired Kayla. At the back of the jewel, engraved behind the silver plate that held the jewel together was the Chinese characterfor _'Soul',_ which Kayla found quite appropriate. 

She quickly tucked the jewel back beneath the folds of her clothes. She looked around, studying her surroundings underneath the night sky. She had been sleeping outside in a secluded ally way because she didn't have enough money to stay at an inn for the night. She only brought along with her a pathetic amount of money that she managed to save for herself away from the prying eyes of her relatives. It would probably be enough to provide her a few meals _if_ she doesn't stay at an inn and that she spend it wisely and sparingly. 

A cold biting wind swept by her, causing her to shiver and wishing that she had packed some more clothes with her instead of her ragged dress and thin cloak that she was wearing now. She tried to focus on some more positive thoughts despite the grim environment. _At least I am free now... no more forced chores... no more beatings... no more hostile emotions... and most of all, NO MORE UNWANTED ARRANGED MARRIAGE!!_ Kayla smiled at the last thought. She scanned around her area once more. When she was sure that she was safe from any possible attacks from unwanted visitors, she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself to drive away the cold. She closed her golden brown eyes with a content sigh. 

_Free..._ was the last thought that played in her mind before she drifted into a new dreamless sleep. 

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Kayla woke up the following morning with the sun glaring in her eyes. She groaned, _Just a few more minutes_ she thought as she shifted her head away from the sun, trying to get back to sleep. She knew she still had a long journey ahead of her, but she just wanted to get as much rest as possible before she started. Is that so much to ask? Apparently so....

"Hey you GET UP you little RUNT!!" a coarse voice yelled, breaking the serene silence that Kayla was bathed in, and bringing her back to harsh reality. "Nani...?" she asked as she glanced up to see who had woken her.... only to jump back fully awake with surprise and fright at the sight of the man in front of her. _Nani!!! It couldn't be!!! How did he find me so fast?!!!_ She thought, as she looked at the large man standing before her in total horror and shock. The large man was staring at her with a suspicious and cruel gaze that she knew too well of. The malicious smirk on his face sends shivers up her spine. Even though she knew that she was tough for a girl, she still found him very intimidating after all the years when he raised her like his slave. 

"Un.... Uncle?" she stammered, still trying to get over the shock of seeing her mother's brother-in-law in front of her. _This can't be happening!!!_ she thought in despair. _Not again... it's just a bad dream, a bad dream, a bad dream, A BAD DREAM....._ she kept mentally chanting to herself as if saying it would make the terrible being before her disappeared. Unfortunately it didn't work. 

"I thought that getting caught running away the first time would teach you a lesson,." replied her uncle, ignoring her stammering. Each of his words seemed to drip with venom. "Apparently, you seem to enjoy defying your aunt and me by trying it again for the second time." If it was possible, her uncle's smirk seemed to become even more chilling as if he was enjoying to see her in so much despair. "Luckily I do have many friends around and were able to inform me right away where you are the second they recognized you" 

_How could I have been so careless?! _Kayla mentally scolded herself. She had completely forgotten about her uncle's wide range of connection around the area. Of course her uncle would be able to locate her. 

"Please uncle.... I don't want to go back... please let me go" she said quietly, hoping that somewhere in her uncle, he'll carry little if not some sympathy for her. 

"Let you go?....LET YOU GO?!" her uncle roared with a cruel, mocking laugh. "Don't be a FOOL!" he yelled and roughly grabbed her arm, dragging her back to her prison. 

Kayla knew better than to fight back, he was just too strong for her. She wouldn't be able to get very far even if she got away from her uncle. His 'connections' in the area would make sure of that.

_I was only free for one day and already I had to go back to my prison in hell _Kaylathought bitterly as she wiped the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes with her other hand before she let her uncle see it. 

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_1 week.... correction 1 week and 2 days _Kayla mentally corrected herself as she washed the laundry that belonged to her stupid cousins in her hell prison also formally known as her aunt and uncle's home. _Oh right can't forget, also home for their two precious sons, Haiku and Koufu who simply enjoy making my life more hellish than it already is_ she thought sarcastically. After she was taken back from trying to runaway for the second time, her uncle had beaten her with a stick. Each hit had been agonizing and painful, but she would be damn if she let uncle see her crying and taking pleasure in her pains and tears. 

Kayla winced as she moved to lift bucket of laundry to hang outside. Her back was covered with a few scars and bruises from the recent beatings as well as her previous ones. Her arms were covered with scars (both old and new) though not as much as the bruises but were still visible. However, the bruises were getting better, before her condition was so bad that it was hard to tell whether her real skin colour was blue or a pale cream. 

Luckily her two older devilish cousins were out of town at the moment with her uncle for some unknown business, and were unable to hassle her anymore. _Man business_, they called it. This left her alone with her aunt who at the moment was busy with something else inside the house. 

"KAYLA!!" came a screech within the house, while Kayla was hanging the laundry outside to dry. _Speak of the devil_ she thought as a thin but tall woman came out of the house. It was her aunt and as usual she looked unhappy and seemed as if she was ready to pounce at her in any moment like a tiger to its prey. Kayla mentally winced at the thought. 

Unlike her large uncle, her aunt was tall, pale and thin but the stern expression that never seemed to leave her aunt's face took away all the misinterpretations, which one may believe that she was a weak and timid woman. Weak and timid she was definitely **_not_**_. _To Kayla, her uncle's physical abuse was weak compared to her aunt's verbal abuse. With her uncle's abuse, she could handle it. For no matter how much he hit her, it would never break her spirits and the hope she still harbour that there will be a day when she could escape before it was too late for her. 

However, her aunt knew how to really _hurt_ Kayla if she wanted to for she would always target for Kayla's heart. She knew how to hurt her with cruel comments about her parents and about how they were a disgrace, especially her mother to the family heritage, and how Kayla was a mistake to begin with. Though Kayla had already heard these for the last 5 long years, and almost became partially almost numb to them, it had still hurt her deeply inside. Sometimes she would boil with rage, which usually led her to talk back, only resulting in her getting a few more beatings from her uncle. 

"Yes, what do you want?" Kayla said not bothering to be polite, she was really tired and didn't want to face anyone right now. Luckily her aunt didn't seem to notice her bitter attitude. 

"Where is it?" her aunt asked giving her an accusing stare. _Like a vulture_ Kayla mentally winced again. 

"Where is what?" Kayla asked innocently, although she already knew what her aunt was referring to.

"You know very well what I am talking young lady!!" replied her aunt, clearly losing her patience "Where is you mother's necklace? Give it back."

Kayla could already feel her temper rising. "You already said it." She retorted. "It is _my_ mother's necklace, therefore it's for me to keep. You have no right to take it from me!" It was true in Kayla's opinion. After her uncle took her back, her aunt had stolen her necklace away from her as a punishment as well. Beatings, Kayla could tolerate but she will be damned if she let anyone take away the only soul reminder of her parents. When her aunt had been busy, Kayla had secretly snuck in her aunt's room to steal it back. 

"That necklace is clearly a curse! Give it to me so I could get rid of it!!" yelled her aunt. Kayla stepped back in horror, unconsciously using one hand to clutch her own chest where her necklace laid hidden underneath her clothes. 

"There is no way in hell I am going to give this necklace to you, you old hag!!" Kayla yelled back as she clearly lost complete control of her temper, no longer caring to be careful with her tongue as she spoke to her aunt. She didn't care for the consequences, there was just no way she was going to let her aunt touch her mother's necklace again. 

"We'll see about that!!!" said her aunt as she made her way towards Kayla, ready to take the necklace away from her by force. Kayla began to back away and turned to run. However her aunt grabbed Kayla by the end of her long black braid and pulled her back _hard_.

Kayla screamed in pain as she felt her whole body pulled back from the unexpected abuse inflicted upon her head, causing her to lose her balance and fell backwards on the hard ground. Her aunt quickly used her venerability at the moment to pin Kayla on the ground by one hand and the other hand to take the necklace back. Kayla tried to stop her aunt's hand from taking her necklace and tried to sit back up. However, her aunt was surprisingly strong for such a thin woman. Therefore Kayla did the only thing she could think of in that moment to save herself and her necklace. She pulled her right hand back into a fist and swung it forward with all her might. Her right fist connected perfectly at her aunt's left cheek. Caught her aunt completely by surprise as she fell off of Kayla from the force of her fist. Kayla quickly scrambled up, stumbling back away from her aunt. Kayla was stunned at what she had done herself. Even though no matter how much she had hated her aunt, she had never hit her because she was her mother's sister.

For once, her aunt's usual stern expression was completely gone, and she was just as stunned as Kayla, with eyes wide opened in an utter disbelief. Her left cheek, where Kayla had hit her was already swollen and will no doubt become a very nasty bruise later on. On her mouth, there was a thin trickle of blood.

_Kami-sama....What have I done!! _Kayla thought in horror. She knew she will really get it this time and maybe this time, she won't even survive.

Her aunt slowly recovered from the shock and brought her hand over her swollen cheek and withdrew in pain. She stared at her hand covered with a little blood from her mouth. Her eyes went from shock to horror and finally to utter rage.

"You little bitch!!" her aunt hissed with poison dripping on her every word. Kayla winced visibly, never in all her life she had seen her aunt so angry.... so murderous... 

"You are going to pay for that.... I'll make sure of that, even if it costs you YOUR LIFE!!" her aunt hissed dangerously and with that she turned around and stalked back into the house, slamming the door without a second glance. 

When her aunt was gone, Kayla immediately started to tremble, then shook violently, and she then finally crumbled onto the floor, sobbing non-stop. Not because of fear, but because she was utterly tired. For 5 years she had lived in torment from her aunt and uncle, for 5 years she had been trapped without a moment of true freedom and peace.... for 5 years she had been fearing for her life and hoping that someday she will escape....5 long agonizing years.... enough was enough.

_Oh Otosan, why did you have to die and leave me with this family who truly hates me _she thought sadly as she continued crying. She knew she will have to escape quickly, maybe even tonight because if her uncle and cousins come home in two days. Her aunt would definitely take the first opportunity tell them what had happened between them. Her uncle would beat her until there was no tomorrow and even if she survive, she would probably slowly go insane if she stay any longer. 

_But how? _She thought bitterly. If she ran away, her uncle's friends would surely recognize her and they would tell him before she had the chance to even escape to Konan. Everything was stacked against her. She looked around wearily as she stood up and slowly picked up her cousins' laundry. She paused and looked down at her cousins' clothes as realization struck her. The only reason that she was constantly getting caught was because her uncle's friends recognized her and that was why they informed her uncle. 

_What if....what if they DON'T recognize me? Then they can't tell uncle and I wouldn't be caught so easily. I could disguise myself and they could never find me!!! _Kayla quickly grew excited at her new escape plan. But she would have to work quickly to prepare everything. Luckily she already had the perfect disguise she could use in mind as she hurriedly looked to see if anyone was spying on her as she took out a set of her cousins' clothes and hid it behind a tree nearby. Her cousins always had a lot of clothes, so they wouldn't notice if some of their clothes were missing. They were a little big, but at least they would fit. Then she quickly went to get ready for other preparations. 

_Tonight, I would leave, and if I can't, then tomorrow night at max when my aunt is still nursing her wounds and uncle, Haiku and Koufu are still out of town_ she quickly planned in her head.

_This time I WILL escape and succeed or die trying_ she thought with a new sense of determination as she went to prepare.

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**Authors' Notes:**

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Gemini: So what do you think? Love it? Hate it? I'm sorry that I am making Kayla-chan suffer so much, but it is a critical turning point in Kayla's life I think should be the a new determination for Kayla. I promise it WILL definitely get better because you know how much I love Kayla-chan LOL right Cancer? 

Cancer: ......

Gemini: Cancer?....Cancer? You ok? 

Cancer: ..... _(Suddenly grows really big and scary)_ ok? OK?!?! of course I am NOT ok !!! Where is TASUKI!!! I want to see him!!! I thought this is a Tasuki-fic, Where is TASUKI?!?!?! Why isn't he here yet ?!?!?! 

Gemini: Oh that hehehe (sweatdrops). Well you see this story IS based on Kayla-chan's perspective mostly BUT.... (Cancer starts to get ready to shoot 

Gemini with Tasuki's Tessan, and Gemini freaks out once she sees what Cancer is doing) I PROMISE you that he will make an appearance in the next chapter.....so please calm down onegai!!!! 

Cancer: (calms down and shrinks back to normal size) Ok fine... you hear what she said readers. I will personally make sure she keeps her promise if not.... (gives Gemini a warning glance)

Gemini: Hehehe....(sweatdrop grows larger) don't worry, I always keep my promises.... whew!! 

Hi!!!! For all of you readers, thank you for baring us for this long, we know it probably isn't easy. We know that so far it seemed kind of boring with everything focusing on just Kayla, however we really wanted Kayla to be a realistic kind of girl who faces problems and has a past like many people not just some girl who comes out of the blue from nowhere. If you really believe this fic is worth continuing please continue to read and please, please, PLEASE REVIEW!!!! LOL 


	3. Escaped and Attacked

Disclaimer: We, Twin Girls do NOT own Fushigi Yuugi and it's storyline. It was created byYuu Watase and other large corporations in which we have no part of. We only own Kayla and her family.

Cancer: Gemini... don't you get tired of writing this all the time?!?!?!

Gemini: Of course I do!! But someone has to do it.... unless you want to be sued and end up paying debts for the rest of your life plus the one after that. 

Cancer: (Sweatdrops) Uh.... GOOD POINT!!!.... (Starts to take out a Law book titled: **"World Wide Disclaimers"**) 

Gemini: (Large sweatdrop) Man.... I didn't know such a book _even existed!!!_

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**Chapter 3: Escaped and Attacked **

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A seemingly young boy took a peak out of a deserted ally way that he had been sleeping in the night before. He was almost invisible to any regular people who passed by without a second glance. Even if some strangers did notice this boy, they wouldn't care. All they would be concerned about was that he was just a young boy who was not worth their time in contemplating in who he was. 

For the boy, that was just fine with him, he didn't want to attract any unnecessary attentions. The boy's golden brown eyes scanned the open busy market place for any possible threats and luckily found none. He seemed to relax at this thought. It was still early morning and the sun stood high, promising a new day with new possibilities. The rays from the bright sun shone brightly, catching the violet highlights on the young boy's long black hair that was tied back into a braid that hung halfway down his back. 

Although his appearances seemed normal at first glance, he was definitely not like most of the boys. His height was a little shorter than the average height for a 16-year-old boy. His appearance seemed boyish yet not quite if one study it long enough. There was something missing.... lacking.... For the boy, this wasn't surprising considering the fact that he was actually a **_SHE!!! _**

Kayla quickly adjusted her disguise to fix anything that may be out of place. Her cousin's clothes were a little big on her. A little uncomfortable but she would eventually get use to it. _Plus, at least it will protect me better from the cold at night compared to my usual dress and cloak_ she thought. Also the large clothing did a better job at concealing her figure and hiding her true gender from the outside world. She secured her breasts by wrapping a large cloth tightly around her upper body to give it a flatter and harder appearance. It was uncomfortable, however it wouldn't help to be discovered that she possessed certain female anatomies, which normal males should not have. Especially for the fact that she was walking around disguised as a boy, it would be too dangerous to be discovered and not to mention the _extreme_ awkwardness of it.

However, all this trouble had been worth it and so far her plan was going accordingly. She had escaped from her aunt the night following the day when she fought her aunt for her necklace. She was lucky that her aunt had been too occupied and it gave her the chance to sneak out during the unholy hours of the night with her little bundle of clothes, few possessions and a little money. That had been four days ago, she had traveled non-stop and was finally able to reach the next closest village near the outskirts of Konan. She was dead tired when she had arrived during the night and had fell asleep instantly after she found herself a safe spot to rest. Then came the next day and now here she was.... 

_Finally I am now officially free!!! _Kayla found it extremely hard to contain her excitement and fought the urge to shout for joy and laugh like there was a tomorrow. It wouldn't do her any good to let other people seeing her standing there laughing and acting like some lunatic. _Nope, definitely not a wise idea choice to behave_ she thought grinning. After a minute or so she was finally able control herself. The only indication of her previous euphoric feeling was the silly grin that lit up her whole face. 

She quickly looked around once more, before stepping into the busy crowd in the morning streets, enjoying the carefree life she was now leading. 

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Kayla walked down the streets of the market. It was now around late afternoon and she spent most of her time exploring the village to familiarize herself with her new surroundings. She had just finished eating at a little cheap restaurant. One of those outdoor restaurants that had its' tables and chairs located outside, because its' indoors were too small and was only large enough to hold the kitchen. 

Actually to be truthful, she didn't exactly get to finish her meal. When she was eating and enjoying her sweet buns and tea, minding her own business. The man with unusual flame-coloured hair who was sitting at the table next to hers was making such a racket. She didn't want to be nosy nor did she want to care. However, the man next to her was so loud that probably the whole village could have heard his voice. Apparently, the man was complaining about the sake in the restaurant and he demanded for a new bottle of sake. The storeowner refused at first, which caused the flame-haired man to let out a colourful string of words that Kayla wasn't sure if it was even legal for the public ears. Frankly, Kayla had gotten fed up and paid for her meal and left, bringing along with her the buns to eat while she walked. Not bothering to see what happened to the storeowner after the flame-haired man stopped his cursing.

Now, she decided to just do some more exploring in the streets and letting herself relax for once. She may be disguised as a boy but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy herself. After all, she was free to do whatever she wanted for the time being before she set out for Konan. The streets weren't as lively as it was in the morning, it was starting to get late and the sun was about an hour away from setting to once again bring back the night. 

_I have to find somewhere to stay for the night_ Kayla thought as she walked, not really caring in where she was going. _I don't really want to keep sleeping outdoors in some ally way, who knows what other people might do there.... demo.... I don't have enough money to stay in an inn_ she thought as she tried to come up with a solution for her problem. _Maybe.... maybe I can go ask some nice family if they could spare me a room for the night where I won't take up too much room since I'm only one girl.... ummm I mean boy... yeah maybe that would work_ satisfied with her solution, Kayla quickly made her way down the street, hoping to find some kind-hearted family to take her in for the night.

All of a sudden, a rough arm grabbed her by the neck from behind, locking her into a death choke and pulled her roughly back toward some secluded ally way. Kayla had been caught too off guarded to react immediately. When she did recovered from the shock, she quickly opened her mouth to scream for help. However, a large hand was clamped over her mouth before she could even utter a sound. Whoever was holding on to her from behind, was strong and was literally dragging her into the empty ally way. Nobody will ever come to her aid since no one had heard nor seen her. 

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Kayla was taken into an ally way that seemed to be devoid of any sunlight as her kidnapper dragged her from behind almost choking her to death with that death hold his arm had around her neck. 

_Who is he?!! Where is he taking me?!?!_ Kayla thought panicking. Then a terrible thought rushed to her mind. _Could he be working for my uncle? Maybe he recognized me and now he's taking me back to my prison! _Kayla's panic quickly grew into full-fledge fear at the morbid thought. She had been so close to escape, and now she was going _back?_****_No I won't go back without a fight!!_ Kayla thought as her fear quickly turned into anger and strong determination. 

She began to struggle harder, putting her full force into it. Her attacker was beginning to have difficulties holding her. "Stop struggling you little runt!" A harsh voice hissed near her ear, sending more chills down her spine, causing her to struggle even harder. 

"Shit, hold still!!... Tomayo give me a hand here!! For a little guy, he sure is hard to handle," the voice behind her yelled. Then it was joined by a second voice somewhere on her right side though she couldn't really see. It was too dark in the ally way. 

"You really are pathetic, you know Moshi... you can't even hold onto a small boy that's practically half your size" this voice seemed younger, yet even more dangerous than the one who was holding on to her at the moment. 

"He's like a freakin' monkey, way too much energy... are you going to help me or not?!?!" replied the voice that seemed to come from Moshi based from what the other guy's reference. 

Kayla immediately realized that these men referred to her as a _'he',_ therefore most likely they weren't sent by her uncle. Nevertheless, they were still attacking her although Kayla had no idea why. But Kayla didn't really care who or what their names were at the moment, she had to get out _fast_. Seizing the opportunity that he was still being distracted from talking to Tomayo, she bit into the arm of her attacker as hard as she could. It was crude but it will serve its purpose effectively.

Moshi immediately screamed in pain, quickly withdrawing his arm around Kayla, allowing her to breath normally again. "Stupid Son of a b*tch bit me!!" he cried, holding his injured arm. 

Kayla tried to turn and run but was caught by another pair of hands- most likely belonging to the other guy, Tomayo- before she could take another step. Kayla found herself slammed painfully against the wall and was pinned there with something pointed to her throat. Kayla realized that this man, Tomayo was holding a knife against her throat causing her to panic. Even if these men weren't from her uncle, they had still meant business. 

"Shut up and be quiet, you little runt!!" hissed Tomayo, as he brought his face close to Kayla forcing her to look into his cold, deranged eyes. "All we want is your money, don't you dare scream or even say a word or else you'll regret it you understand?" he threatened.

Kayla nodded slightly and carefully, not to let the knife that was against her throat cut her. She was very afraid as her mind completely froze over. If she wasn't careful enough, these two men would to do much more to her than to just rob her. 

"That's a good boy," said Tomayo with sickening satisfaction. "You see Moshi, you just have to know how to show your enemies who is the boss here," he said as he turned to his partner.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, just save me a piece of him when you're done so I could return his favour for biting me" retorted Moshi as he glared menacingly at Kayla, promising a slow and painful torture.

Tomayo just laughed cruelly as if it was the biggest joke he had ever heard in the world. However, when he laughed, the knife on Kayla's throat began to waver, giving Kayla a chance.

She quickly brought her right foot out and kicked as hard as she could on his shin. He immediately stumbled in pain, dropping the knife to hold his injured leg. Immediately, she brought her right fist up and hit him right on the nose instantly, causing him to fall to the floor in pain. 

Kayla didn't bother to examine the injuries that she had inflicted as she blindly ran away hoping the other guy, Moshi didn't react quick enough to catch her. She kept running and running. Behind her, she could hear the angry crying of Tomayo telling Moshi to stop laughing like an idiot and chase after her. 

Kayla just kept running 

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She didn't know how long she had been running away from those two bandits, hours? Minutes? Seconds? She couldn't be sure nor did she care. But she was sure that they were still behind her even though she couldn't see them at the moment. There was no way she was going to stop and check to see if her assumptions were correct.

Soon she was running out of breath, and her lungs felt like they were about to explode. Kayla was sure she would drop dead from exhaustion, not to mention that she was still recovering from the journey she had taken to get to this village in the first place. She would have to stop and find a place to hide and hopefully those two bandits would pass right by her.

She stopped to grasp her breath, _hide.... I need a place to hide!!_ She thought panicking as she scanned the area for a possible hiding place. She quickly realized that she was back at the same outdoor restaurant where she had been eating at before the whole incident had taken place. The tables and chairs were still out and some people were still there eating and enjoying their meals, not bothering to look at the boy with black hair who had stopped in front of them. 

Kayla quickly acted on impulse and hid under one of the furthest tables away from the ally way she had run out from. Neither was she aware nor did she care that the table was already occupied with one of the customers. 

"What the hell?!?!" came a shocked voice from above the table that she was currently occupied under. The voice wasn't really anger, despite the language. More like utter surprise. 

Kayla turned to see a pair of legs underneath the table, which obviously belonged to a man from the sound of the voice. He wore a pair of dark beige coloured pants with tall dark travelling boots. From her angle, she could tell that the man was wearing something like a dark blue trench coat, though it was hard to identify. For some unknown reasons, the voice that had been swearing from the man above her seemed vaguely familiar.

"You know.... most _normal_ people I know usually sit _by_ a table, not _under_ it," said a voice with a hint of amusement and even _closer_ than before. Kayla was so caught up in her own thoughts, she didn't even noticed that the owner of the voice had realized that someone was under his table and had bent down to see who it was, finding Kayla under there lost in her own world. 

"Nani!..." shouted Kayla, who was shocked by the unexpected voice and forgotten to keep her voice down. Her head had shot up immediately along with her surprised reply. Also forgetting that she was still under the table. Her head hit the bottom part the table with a large _thump,_ causing an immense pain and partial dizziness for Kayla.

"Ouch..." Kayla moaned as she rubbed the bruise on her head, this was certainly not her day. _What else can go wrong?_ Kayla thought bitterly. She slowly raised her eyes to look at the owner of the voice who had been the source of the immense headache that she was experiencing right now. 

Her eyes were caught immediately by another pair of golden brown eyes, which were almost the exact same shade of colouring as her own. For a moment, there was a silence as each pair studied the other. 

Kayla quickly broke the gaze and looked at the rest of the face, and she found that this person was actually a young man, maybe around the age of 17 or so. The man had a strong jaw, with a slim yet strong face covered with the bangs of his flame-coloured hair. 

_Wait a minute!.... Flame-coloured hair?!.... Kami-sama! No wonder his voice was familiar!!.... Talk about coincidence!!_ Kayla thought amazed. Apparently, the table she had chosen on impulse to hide under in had also belonged to the same annoying flame-haired man, who caused such a racket to her peaceful meal earlier. 

For once, in Kayla's life she was speechless from the sheer irony of it.

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**Authors' Note:**

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Cancer: ALRIGHT!!!! (Grabbing Gemini by her arm and do a Bandit Dance with her by force)...

Gemini: STOP IT CANCER, YOU'RE FREAKING ME OUT!!!!!

Cancer: YEAAA!!! TASUKI IS FINALLY OUT!!!!! BWAHAHAHAHAH!!! YEA BABY, COME AND DANCE WID ME!!!! LET'S PARTY!!!!!!!

Gemini: (Sweatdrops) Uh, Cancer, I think you should chill down and try to control yourself. I mean afterall, there are some AUDIENCES who are CURRENTLY watching you and ya ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR!!!

Cancer: MWAHAHAHAH, I CAN'T!!! I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO CONTROL MYSELF!!! BWAHAHAHAH!!! I'M WAY TOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED ABOUT THIS BABY!!!! WHOAHAHAHAHHA!!!

Gemini: (Bigger sweatdrop) Well.......in this case, I guess I really don't have a choice here, do I? (Gemini takes out a rod and smack Cancer on the back of her head, knocking her out of conscious)...Sigh.......Sorry for the INCONVIENIENCE guys, I'll make sure that next time I'll keep a closer eye on my PET!!! Ok, back to the topic...Yup, you're right, TASUKI IS FINALLY OUT!!! I know that's what most of you guys were looking forward to, and here it is, LOL, YEA U SEE I NEVER BREAK MA PROMISE RITE?!?! (Pointing her finger at those who were having doubts at her in the first place) AND NOW IN ALL OF YOUR FACES!!! WHOAHAHAHAHAHA!!! BWAHAHAHHAHAHA!!! MWAHAHAHAHAH!!! 

To our dearest readers, thank you for your kindness and patience, and we do realize that it's not that easy to go through 2 LONG chapters without a familiar character from F.Y., but we do hope that you will understand our purpose for doing so............(WRACKING PEOPLE ON THE HEADS) WELL, OF COURSE WE'RE NOT DOING IT AS A CLIFFHANGER U BAKAS!!! We did it is because we want to show the hardship and difficulties that Kayla was going through before she meet those kind-hearted and humorous Suzaku seishi...Anyways... what we really hope that you guys would do for us is............... REVIEW PLZ!!!!!!!!! 


	4. To Steal or Not To Steal

Gemini: Oh my god, Oh MY GOD..... This chapter is going to have more of Tasuki and Kayla   and MORE TASUKI!!!! BWHAHAHAHA ..... hmmmmm...... what am I forgetting?.....

Cancer: You BAKA!! you forgot the disclaimers!!!... 

Gemini: (Sweatdrops) Oops....hehehe you're right

Cancer: (rolls her eyes) And they call _ME_ irresponsible....

Disclaimer: We, Twin Girls do NOT own Fushigi Yuugi and its storyline, it was created byYuu Watase and other large corporations in which we have no part of. We only own Kayla and her family.

Cancer: (Whispers to herself, while Gemini sticks her ears closer to Cancer eavedropping) And gosh, I thought I'm the only one here who's obsess with TASUKI, I never knew that Gemini is this CRAZY about him too, what a CRAZY CHICK..... MUAHAHAHAHAHA

Gemini: (Sweatdrops)......Look who's talking here, hehe.....

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**Chapter 4: To Steal or Not To Steal**

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A young 17 year-old man with flame-red hair had been enjoying his sake at a restaurant. He was just minding his own business, mainly keeping to himself except when he complained to the owner of the restaurant about his sake and had practically threatened the owner with his impressive vocabulary of curses until the poor owner gave in and gave him another bottle of finer sake in replacement. 

_It's not my fault that he tries to cheat me out of my money, his cheap sake can fool any regular customers who are inexperience drinkers _he thought. An inexperience drinker he was _NOT_. He could smell fine sake a mile away with eyes closed, standing in a room filled with fumes if he wanted to. 

Normally he wouldn't be so picky, however he was cranky and tired from his long journey. He was in a hurry. However he had decided to take a quick rest and enjoy a bottle of sake before he set out again to get back home, located on top of Mount Leikaku. His destination was still a couple of hours away, but fortunately he had a horse to take him there, which he tied up at the moment to a tree beside the restaurant he was now resting at. 

Yep, he was just minding his own business, not really noticing his surroundings and he was lost in his own thoughts about home. Therefore he was quite surprised and shocked when he felt something or _someone_ literally ran under his table and stayed there.

"What the hell?!" he swore as he felt something brushed against his legs, confirming his suspicions that this something was actually _someone_ who ran under his table for Suzaku know what reasons. 

_Stupid kid is probably fooling around and causing trouble_ he thought as he bent down to see whom this intruder was. 

To his surprise, instead of a little kid that he was expecting, he found something else.... a boy with long black hair tied in a braid. 

He was still a young boy, not as young as a little kid that he was expecting, probably around 16, maybe even younger as he looked at this strange boy's tiny appearance. Even though the boy was huddled under the table and seemed to be lost in thoughts, not noticing that the man at the table was now staring at him. The flame-haired man could tell that the boy had a small frame and estimated that he would probably reached no higher than his chin in height.

The man couldn't help but smirked at the little amusing display in front of him. The boy still didn't seem to acknowledge his presence, so he decided to speak up. 

"You know.... most _normal_ people I know usually sit _by_ a table, not _under_ it!" He said trying the hide his amusement. 

"Nani!!...." the boy shouted clearly taken by surprised when he had spoken. He was so shaken by the unexpected interruption that his head hit the bottom of the table with a large thump. 

The man winced when the boy hit the table. _That looks like it hurts_ the man thought, as the boy groaned in pain. The boy finally looked up to meet his gaze for the first time. His eyes seemed to widen in surprised when he looked at him as if he realized something. It was hard to make out the boy's face because of the darkness under the table, plus the fact that the sun was already starting to set, casting a dimmer light everywhere. His intense gaze was starting to make him uncomfortable and so he decided to speak again to break the awkward silence. 

"What the hell are you doing down there?!" He demanded loudly, catching the attentions of some people sitting at the tables nearby. His voice seemed to break the boy's trance as he narrowed his eyes giving him a warning glare. 

"Sshhhh....." he whispered fiercely. "Do you want the whole world to know that I'm down here?!" He clearly did not want to be discovered from his little hiding place. Still amused by the sudden change in events, the man decided to have a little fun. An evil grin appeared on his face. He slowly stuck his head under the table and motioned the boy to come closer until they were completely face-to-face from each other.

"Well don't worry......" He started in a whisper. "I WON'T TELL ANYONE THAT YOU'RE HERE UNDER MY TABLE!!" He finished, deliberately raising his voice for the world to hear!!

Once he said that, everyone nearby looked towards their direction to see what the commotion was about. The flame-haired man started to laugh evilly with his head still under the table.

Kayla's eyes widen in horror and feared at what the foolish man had just done. She quickly took a peek outside and saw that a lot of people were looking at them (or specifically at the laughing baka) as if both of them were some lunatics. 

_Kami-sama, he's going to give me away if he doesn't shut up quick!!_ She thought panicking.

Kayla quickly acted on impulse and raised her hand into a fist and landed an upward punch on the ignorant man's chin. Causing his whole head to fly upward, hitting the bottom part of the table _hard_. "I told you be quiet!!" She hissed. 

The man cursed loudly as he rubbed his injured head, no longer amused by the whole event. 

"What the hell did you do that for?!.... Look, if you are playing some kinda STUPID childish hide-and-seek game, I say you find some_ other place_ to hide because you are seriously pissing me off right now," said the man, clearly wanting her to leave immediately. 

Kayla grew desperate, she couldn't afford to come out now, those two bandits who were still after her would surely show up soon and she wouldn't have enough time to find another place to hide as much as she wanted to right now.

"Just pretend that I'm not here and go on drinking your sake or whatever you were doing before" she said, wanting no more than to be left alone. 

"How the hell am I suppose to continue drinking when there is some perverted boy staring at my ass the whole time?!?!?!" The rude man countered. 

Kayla felt her whole face burned up at the thought of the man's accusation. She was sure right now that her face was as red as a tomato. She could only be thankful that it was dark under the table, which hid the colourings of her face. _What the heck did he just say?!_ She thought horrified.

"Look!" she said through clench teeth. "I am _NOT_ nor do I _WANT TO_ stare at your ass!!!" she took a huge breath to calm herself down. "If you must know, I'm hiding from these two men who are after me and so if you'll be kind enough to SHUT UP, I would greatly appreciate it." She said with large hint of sarcasm. 

The man became silent after she said those words. He just stared at her like he was accessing and judging her as if she was some unknown foreigner. They stayed that way waiting for some reactions (or at least that was what Kayla was waiting for). The silence had seemed to stretch for a few eternities and Kayla was getting nervous under the man's intense gaze. Then the man slowly moved his head forward once again, meeting her face to face. 

"N....Nani?" stammered Kayla, clearly a little nervous that a man was this close to her without actually touching. 

Slowly his eyes stared back at Kayla in her eyes in a serious expression, never breaking the contact. Then slowly he whispered in a serious yet almost mocking tone. "You're a _thief_ aren't you?...You _stole_ from those guys and now they're after ya aren't they?" 

Kayla eyes widened in surprise... then narrowed again at the accusation with pure anger. Then unexpectedly she brought up her right fist once again and hit the man on the chin, causing his head to fly upward meeting the table for the second time with a hard _thump_. 

The man swore again overcame by the pain inflicted twice upon his head that occurred twice in _less_ than half an hour. He looked at the boy again and found that he was glaring at him in rage. _What did I say?! Hell, the boy sure has a strong punch for someone so small_ he thought as he rubbed his bruising chin. 

Kayla was furious. _How dare he accused me of being a thief?! That ignorant, hot-headed BAKA!! Is he even for real?!_ If there was one thing she hated more than anything else in this world other than her aunt and uncle and her stupid cousins, then it would to be accused of a crime she didn't commit. 

She was about to voice her exact thoughts to this unbearable man until out of the corner of her eyes, she saw two familiar figures outside close by. It was Tomayo and Moshi, the two bandits who were after her. The two bandits stopped and were now searching around for her. 

_Please don't let them find me, please don't let them find me, please..... _she silently pleaded. Unfortunately the flame-haired man was still swearing up a storm and with his head still under the table, the public could not helped but looked at them strangely. He attracted the two bandits' attentions and they were now making their ways toward them slowly, slightly suspicious. 

_Kami-sama, they're going to catch me if I don't get out of here quickly_ Kayla panicked and looked around for any possible escape route. Her eyes landed on a horse that was tied to a tree nearby. _Only one chance_ she thought as she prepared herself, ignoring the flame-haired man. She would have to move fast.

The flame-haired man was once again taken by surprise when the boy suddenly dashed out of the table in a speed of light. The man would have been relieved to see the boy leaving if it wasn't for the fact that the boy had quickly jumped onto a horse that was tied to a tree. He hurriedly untied the horse and with one fierce slap on the horse, he went galloping away in one quick movement.

He would have been fine with that if it wasn't because of the horse, which the boy took away was actually _HIS OWN HORSE!! _

"Hey, come the @$%# back here with my horse!!" he yelled as the boy galloped away with his horse, while the two men were still chasing after him but failing miserably. Even he, himself could not hope to catch up to him now that he had a head start.

"I'm sorry!!" the boy shouted back. "I'll return him as soon as I can!!" and he disappeared from the sight. 

_How the hell is he supposed to do that, I don't even know what his f*ckin' name is!! When I get my hands on that guy, he's going to wish that he had never met me_ He thought darkly as he began to curse with every swear words that he could think of, which was pretty long by any human knowledge. This was definitely not his day. 

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Kayla slowed down her riding to a walking pace after a good half an hour of hard galloping. No doubt that those two bandits were long gone and far behind her now. She relaxed and unconsciously allowed her mind to drift back to the flame-haired man whom she was with and realized that she didn't even know the young man's name. 

_Oh well it doesn't matter whether or not I know that unbearable man's name anyway_ she thought as she continued riding. _However I still need to return his horse somehow... but it seemed unlikely that I would see him again. I mean what are the chances of us bumping together for the third time? I guess I could return the horse back to him if I do bump into him in the future and if not.....well....I don't think he'll blame me if I keep his horse _she thought, satisfied with her decision. 

Unexpectedly, her horse gave a sudden lurch almost throwing her off the saddle. The horse seemed to be panic as if it sensed some unknown hidden enemy.

_What the...._ she didn't had the chance to finish her thoughts when all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, a large group of men emerged out of the bushes and surrounded her completely. She panicked as she tried to steer her horse to escape. However, one of the men grabbed hold of the reins, stopping the horse from going anywhere. 

Kayla could see that there was no way out as she looked around and found men practically everywhere. She did the only thing she knew she could do at the moment. She fought back, and she wasn't going down that easily. She used one of her legs and kicked the man who was still holding on her reins with all her might and without losing her balance of the saddle. The man groaned in pain as the foot connected to his head and fell unconscious. Then she kicked the saddle and once again set off to steer the horse in the right direction to escape. She was able to steer clear of the men, hurting a few along the way. 

She was almost out until something hit the back of her head, which was possibly a hard piece of wood or part of a long staff. She couldn't be sure. The next thing she saw was black as she fell off her horse unconscious. 

The men who attacked Kayla surrounded her (or him, from their perspectives). They checked to see if the boy was really unconscious. He didn't respond, clearly out cold. 

"What are we going to do with him?" one of the men asked as he indicated to Kayla. 

"We'll bring him back to our hideout back on Mount Leikaku" responded another man, the same man who knocked Kayla out with a staff. "He's going to pay for all the injuries he caused us." 

The men agreed and they then picked up the _'boy'_ and carried _'him'_ back to their stronghold. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**Author's notes: **

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gemini: (Falls in front of her computer nearly unconscious) Whew!! Another long chapter, the part with Tasuki and Kayla took me longer than I thought. But it was worth it!!.... I kind of wish that I am Kayla right now.... Must be nice to fall into a deep sleep like that.... 

Cancer: (Sweatdrops at Gemini's comment) YOU WANT TO BE ATTACKED BY THE BANDITS!! RENDER UNCONCIOUS WITH POSSIBLE HEAD INJURIES AND TAKEN BACK TO THEIR HIDEOUT WHERE THERE ARE THE OTHER POSSIBILITIES OF UNSPEAKABLE HORROR THAT CAN HAPPEN!!! AND NOT TO MENTION...

Gemini: OK.... OK.... I GOT YOUR POINT!!! (Sweatdrops) Since you put it THAT way, maybe it's not a really good idea to be in Kayla's shoes right now....but I am tired... (Starts to fall asleep)

Cancer: (Takes out an alarm clock and set it to ring BBBRRRRRIIIIINNNNGGG!!!) 

Gemini: WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE?.... CANCER!!! Why the heck did you do THAT!!!

Cancer: Well, you still have to finish the authors' notes, as you see you are now writing nonsense!!

Gemini: Ummm.... Good point (stares at what she is writing on the computer in front of her)

Well... we hope that you enjoy this chapter, for those of you who haven't figure it out, the flame-haired man is TASUKI our lovable foul-mouth suzaku seishi LOL... and yes Kayla has been taken by the all so famous Leikaku Bandits (which Tasuki is also part off ooooohhhhh....) what can possibly happen? LOL your guess is as good as ours LOL.... Anyways PLZ REVIEW.... We could really use your opinions and suggestions are welcome 100% {=^.^=}Y


	5. An Unexpected Saviour

Disclaimer: We, Twin Girls do NOT own Fushigi Yuugi and it's storyline, it was created byYuu Watase and other large corporations in which we have no part of. We only own Kayla and her family.

Gemini: ........

Cancer: (Looks at Gemini as if expecting something)

Gemini:.........

Cancer: (Gets impatient for waiting) WELL?

Gemini:.....Well what?

Cancer: Aren't you going to complain about how it's so sad that we don't own Fushigi Yuugi and that we'll never will for the rest of our lives and the next life and so on. Aren't you even going to start crying like there is no tomorrow or something!!? (Gets hysterical)

Gemini: (Still calm).....ummm.... no, why?

Cancer: I can't believe this!! (Falls on the floor unconscious)

Gemini: (sweatdrops) O...K.... what's wrong with her? Oh well.... Enjoy the fic everyone!!

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Chapter 5: Unexpected Saviour 

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Kayla groaned as her mind slowly returned back to the real world, for after what seemed to be an eternity long. She was lying down on some hard cold surface and found that she couldn't move as fluently. She soon realized that the reason for this was because her hands were bounded tightly together with a coarse rope that cut deeply into her wrists behind her back. 

"Wh... what happened?" she moaned as she tried to sit up as best as she could with her hands tied. She instantly regretted doing so and fell back to the floor. For the minute she succeeded in getting up, her head had begun to throb painfully, especially the back part. "Owowowow.... bad idea...." she moaned as she fought back the tears that were threatening to fall because of the immense pain. 

_I feel like a dozen hammers had been hitting on my head repetitively for the last hour. _She thought as she lay there. After a few more minutes passed, the pain had subsided a little and she tried her best to sit back up, slowly this time. 

When she was finally able to sit up without inflicting too much pain to her head, she looked around. She found that she was in a room with worn wooden flooring and plain white wall. There was only a single set of furniture that turned out to be a small table with a single chair at each side of it and a lit candle providing the only light in the room. The rest of the room was bare and with only one window that was too small for her to climb through if she wanted to escape. Judging the sky from looking out the window, it told her that the night had fallen. 

_Damn!!... How long had I've been unconscious?_ She thought as the memories of what happened before she was unconscious flowed back to her mind as if it was some sort or dream or _nightmare_. 

She tried to loosen the tight bound on her hands, but stopped when she found that she only succeeded in letting the coarse rope cut more deeply into her wrists. Her wrists both stung and are no doubt bruising. 

Frustration overwhelmed Kayla at how things were turning out for her. First, she couldn't even get a decent quiet meal because of some loud-mouth, flame-haired man, second; she got attacked by two bandits who chased her, which led her to third; she ended up hiding under a table only to be revealed again, thanks once again to the loud-mouth, flame-haired baka!! Then came the fourth; where she had to _borrow _the man's horse to escape only to be attacked again by a group of men whose identities still remained a mystery at the moment. 

All in all it had not been a good day, she experienced enough danger and excitement to last her a lifetime. _It's just all that flame-haired baka's fault!!_ She thought angrily. _If it weren't for him and his obnoxious and loud mouth attitude, I wouldn't be in this mess_. It was true, if it wasn't for him and his complaint about his stupid sake, then she wouldn't have left, which led to all the previous events and leading to where she was right now. _That guy is like my curse or something, wait till I get my hands on him!! IF I get out that is...._ She thought grimly at the last thought. _But then again, if that guy is really my curse, then maybe it would be better if I NEVER see him again as long as I live!!_

She couldn't understand how the heck could she, as a single girl attracted so much trouble in less then a day's worth?!?! She was definitely one very pissed off girl. _Just who were those guys who kidnapped me anyway?! They couldn't be from my uncle could they? No it can't be or else I wouldn't be here right now.... could I?!?_ She panicked at the thought. She really had no idea where she was right now, and all she could really do now was to wait as much as she hated it.

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Kayla didn't have to wait long alone in the dark with only the candle on the table to provide her with some source of light. The door to her room suddenly opened to reveal a group of men, four to be exact. 

All men were rugged in appearances. Three of them were about the same age as her uncle while the last one was about two or three years older than her. 

"So you're finally awake, we're so glad" said one of the older men although his voice was _far_ from pleasant and caring. The other men laughed as if they heard some funny inside joke.

"Who are you? Where am I? And WHY HAVE YOU TAKEN ME?!?!" Kayla demanded, she wanted answers and she wanted them NOW! 

"So you never heard of us? Well let me tell you. We are the Mount Leikaku Bandits known and feared all over Konan," answered another one of the older men obviously proud of their title.

_Bandits?... Again?... This is beginning to get old really fast._ Kayla thought, as she grew more frustrated by the minute. "You don't look so tough!!... I don't see why they feared you!!" Kayla knew it was a stupid thing to say, especially in her position but can they blame them if she was MAD? However she instantly regretted saying it when she saw the angry looks on the men's faces.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU LITTLE RUNT?!" one of the older men roared as he went over and picked Kayla up by the collar, causing her head and wrist to hurt more than ever from the force. She found herself dangling from the ground with only the man's hand on her collar holding her up. Kayla choked a little.

"HOW DARE YOU INSULT US MOUNT LEIKAKU BANDITS!!" He continued to shout in Kayla face. Kayla could tell he was extremely pissed off with that crazed glare in his eyes. 

"Let go of me you thug!!" Kayla shouted and she began to struggle, but couldn't really do much since her hands were tied and her legs were dangling off the ground.

Then the youngest man out of the group who had remained silent the whole time suddenly came over and put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Awwww... Calm down Roshi. Let him go. Don't get yourself all worked up at what this guy said." He said in good humour, and was it Kayla's imagination? Or did he just wink at her? She couldn't be sure, it was still a little too dark in the room to tell. 

The man who was holding her seemed to calm down after and unceremoniously dropped her onto the ground. Kayla gritted her teeth in pain as she landed on her back. She glared at the man who dropped her but the man didn't seem to notice. The young man who saved her just gave a smirk and bent to lift her up to stand quickly but not as rough as the other man. 

"I'm supposed to take you to the boss now under his orders, he's been waiting for you to wake up, wanting to see the little guy who injured a couple of his men," the young man explained with a hint of amusement. 

"Kuso!... He didn't hurt us that bad, he just got lucky!!" protested one of the older men with a snort of disgust. 

The young man laughed and began to lead Kayla out of the room while the other men glared at their backs.

The man led Kayla who was walking behind him with his hands holding on to the rope that was attached to the bound on Kayla's wrist. Kayla tried to keep up with his pace but it wasn't easy, because her head and wrists were still hurting. Sometimes when the man walked a little too fast, he pulled on the rope causing her to stumble a little. 

The man noticed Kayla's struggle and didn't comment. However he did slowed down his pace so that Kayla could keep up. This somewhat considerate gesture did not go unnoticed by Kayla. Now under some better light from the hallway, she was able to study her captor's face more clearly. 

He had dark blue hair tied with a yellow bandana around his head. He was taller than Kayla who only reached him by the chin. He is considerably handsome, even though there was a long scar on the left side of his face. His eyes, Kayla could see were a dark greyish-blue colour that seemed to hold much pride, yet good humour all at the same time. Kayla couldn't help but to be a little curious of whom this man was even though he was her captor. 

"Uummm.... What's your name?" Kayla asked the man out of curiosity. The man looked at her, clearly surprised not expecting the _boy_ to talk to him, let alone asked him for his name. A couple of minutes passed without anyone said anything. 

Thinking that he may not hear her, Kayla was about to ask him again when he spoke. 

"Kouji" the man said. 

"What?..." replied Kayla confused.

"My name's Kouji" the man said, giving her a smirk. Kayla nodded. 

A few more moments passed in silence as they walked. Then Kouji spoke again, "What's your name?" Kayla looked up surprised and was about to answer his question but paused when they stopped in front of a pair of doors. They finally reached the leader.

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Kouji went up to the two doors and knocked. "Excuse me please. Who's there? It's Kouji, here to bring the prisoner from the last heist under the boss's orders. Good, come in please. Thank you." He said this all on his own as he opened the doors. 

Kayla stood there with her eyes widened and her mouth forming a perfect 'O'. _Did that guy just knocked AND answered the door all on his own?!?! That is just plain weird. _Kayla thought as she sweatdropped. She then recovered and followed Kouji into the room reluctantly.

The leader inside was sitting in the room while feasting and he was UGLY. Kayla cowered away from the leader's evil gaze when he looked at her. He was fat and looked like a big oaf. _He's the leader whom everyone around here respected?!_ Kayla thought as she looked back at Kouji who seemed to give her a look of pity. 

"So, this is the little guy who was giving us all the troubles during your last heist?!? Funny, he don't look that tough," the leader said as he glared at Kayla with a nasty look causing Kayla to wish that she could run and hide. She really didn't like the way that the leader was looking at her even though she knew that they all think she was a guy. 

"Beats me Eiken, I wasn't there but he may be tougher than he looks," Kouji replied, addressing the leader by his name. Kayla gave Kouji a silent plea _Please don't leave, I don't want to be in the same room alone with this guy._ Kouji looked back at her with almost a look of regret before he left the room, closing the doors behind and leaving Kayla alone with Eiken.

Kayla gulped as she looked back at Eiken. Eiken gave her a perverted grin and walked around her, inspecting her like a tiger ready to pounce on a prey. _Or at least a very fat tiger ready to crush his prey with his massive weight,_ Kayla thought. 

Then all of the sudden, Eiken grabbed her by the chin roughly to face him. "It's really interesting how you, a little runt can beat all my men, however as the leader of this pathetic group of bandits, it is my duty to teach you a lesson," he hissed. 

Kayla glared back at him with disgust. _It's hard to believe that someone like him knows anything about duty._ Without any warning, Eiken brought up his right fist and punched Kayla in the stomach. Although it wasn't as hard, it was enough to knock the air out of Kayla's lungs and she fell on the floor in pain.

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Kouji stood outside the leader's room, disgusted that he had to follow Eiken's orders. If it weren't for the Tessan, he and the other loyal bandits would form a mutiny and beat the bastard, Eiken to the other side of the country. Unfortunately there was little he could do with the Tessan in Eiken's dirty possession.

Kouji was also disgusted with himself that he had to leave the boy in the room with Eiken. He didn't know why the hell he would care, but it just hadn't felt right to leave him there. He didn't even have a chance to know the boy's name when he had asked him for his. It was a lucky thing that the boy wasn't a girl or else there would be nothing left of her when Eiken was done with him. However, the boy still wasn't that much better off. Eiken was not only a perverted bastard but also cruel and merciless. 

Kouji just hoped that the boy could hold out. _Kuso! I really hate this_, he thought as he reluctantly walked away. 

He had just turned a corner mumbling to himself when he heard a voice, "Kouji, is that you? Long time no see buddy!!!" 

Kouji instantly turned around. "Who's there?!?!" He demanded before he realized that the voice sounded hauntingly familiar.

A figure stepped out of the shadows and Kouji's eyes widened in surprise. "G....Genrou?!"

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Kayla lay on the floor panting. Kayla had been beaten up relentlessly by Eiken and there was not a damn thing she could do about it, while her hands were tied up. She was feeling a little distorted from her beatings and her previous headache. Kayla tried to sit up but found the ground strangely comforting. 

Eiken grinned maliciously as he stood above Kayla. Then something caught his eyes when he saw something hanging around the boy's chest. It was a necklace with a red stone that came out from underneath the folds of the boy's clothes. Greedily, he bent down and yanked the necklace off the boy's neck. 

Kayla's eyes flew opened when she felt something yanked off her neck. She realized that the bastard had taken her necklace!! Her mother's necklace!!! 

"Give that back you bastard or you'll regret it!!" She threatened as she forced herself to sit up despite the pain.

Eiken just laughed cruelly. "You and what army?" He said mocking her.

Kayla was raging MAD!! Using his distraction to her advantage, she used what was left of her strength and charged toward Eiken, slamming her whole body against his. Even though he was way bigger than she was, she had caught him off guard and was able to knock him to the ground. She then used her leg and kicked him hard on the shin. 

Eiken led out a howl of pain and dropped her necklace. Kayla quickly made her way to pick it up but found it hard to do with her hands tied. Unfortunately, she had her back towards Eiken, who recovered from his pain quickly. The next thing Kayla knew was that she was hit in the head, causing her to be flung across the room. 

"You son of a b*tch, you are going to pay for that EVEN IF IT'S GOING COST YOU YOUR LIFE!!" Eiken yelled as he picked up her necklace and hid it beneath the folds of his clothes.

Kayla was horrified... Not only that he had stolen her necklace but also Eiken had said the exact same words her aunt had said before, promising a slow and painful death. Before she had been lucky to be able run away to save herself. But now she wasn't even sure if she was going to escape this time. Her vision began to blur from the abuse inflicted upon her head. 

All of a sudden, she heard Eiken screamed and another male voice came within her hearing, and it was much more pleasant than Eiken's screeching voice. She tried to open her eyes to see what was going on but the light was too bright and she only saw the shadows of two figures in the room. One she recognized as Eiken's, but the other she couldn't make out from her blurry vision. She couldn't even follow a little bit of the conversation that was going on.

"G...G...Genrou," Kayla could make out from Eiken's voice

"So you're the traitorous bastard..… pay for that!!!" She couldn't make out the rest from the other voice that had spoken.

Then she opened to her eyes again to see the shadows of Eiken, who was picking up something she couldn't distinguish.

"LEKKA...SHINEN!!" Kayla heard Eiken cried before she felt a burst of heat that was spreading across the room. _Where did the sudden heat come from?_ She thought as she closed her eyes tightly from the blinding light that had spread in the room. She felt herself slowly losing her consciousness and she began to fall into another deep sleep. 

"Kuso!!... Genjitsu.... SHINZAROU!!" She heard the other voice cried before she felt another burst of heat. The hot sensation creeping much closer to her this time causing some mild sort of pain to her right side. She slowly detached herself from reality. 

"Damn!! Better take ya with me... Time to leave.... I'll be seeing ya later you bastard!!" 

Kayla felt herself being lifted up by someone. Surprised, she forced herself to open her eyes once more, only to see a blur of reddish-orange and golden-brown. _That voice..._ She thought. Then she closed her eyes and finally slipped into unconsciousness. Everything became black once more.

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**Authors' Note:**

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Gemini: (Stares at Cancer)..................

Cancer: (Stares back at Gemini)..................

Gemini: (Still staring at Cancer)...................

Cancer: (Still staring back at Gemini)...................

Gemini: (Keeps staring at Cancer without blinking her eyes)...................

Cancer: (Swallows hard)..................Uh Gemini............can you STOP STARING at me please, you're giving me goosebumps here.....

Gemini: (Still didn't take her eyes off Cancer).................

Cancer: Uh.......If you really wanna know how I think about this chapter, I can tell ya that it's..................TERRIBLY WRITTEN!!! AND YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST INCLUDED SOME MORE FIGHTING SCENES BETWEEN TASUKI AND EIKEN IN HERE YOU KNOW!!!.....(Quickly hides under the table to avoid the explosion from Gemini).

Gemini:.....................

Cancer: (Comes out and sits beside Gemini, tabbing her gently on her shoulder).......Gemini?????

Gemini:...........zZzZ................

Cancer: (Sweatdrops) When did Gemini learn to sleep with her eyes OPEN?!?!?!? Well, I guess that's what happens if you sit in front of the computer too long, (sighs).....I feel sorry for ya man..... Tsk, tsk.... 

Well, hey readers, what do you guys think of this story so far? Love it? Hate it? Well, we would love to hear from ya all, and we know that there aren't a lot of interactions between Kayla and Tasuki rite now, BUT we guarantee that there will be more interactions between them later on in the story.... And can you guys PLZ review, we don't care if your reviews are long or short, it doesn't matter, we just need some credits from you guys u know, it won't be THAT motivating if we don't see anyone reviewing our story, especially after we've spent so much time and effort into this.....So PLZ REVIEW, that's not too much to ask from u guys is it?!?!?!??! *Sobbing*


	6. Temporary Truce

Gemini: ... Hum... seems to be a little quiet today, don't you think so Cancer?

Cancer: Ah huh...

Gemini: Hum... Am I forgetting something here or what?

Cancer: Ah huh...

Gemini: Hum... (Scratches her head) what could that possibly be?... let me think (scratching her chin while thinking)...DING, Light bulb goes on Oh, the DISCLAIMERS!!!

Cancer: Ah huh...

Gemini: Sigh... Okay, here it goes...

Disclaimer: We, Twin Girls do not own Fushigi Yuugi. This amazing anime is created by Yuu Watase, Flower Comics, Shogakukan, Bandai, TV Tokyo, .....

Cancer: STOP!!!

Gemini: .....

Cancer: I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS, CAN YOU BE MORE ENTERTAINING THAN THAT

GEMINI?!?!? YOU'RE PRACTICALLY SAYING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN MAN, OMG!!!

Gemini: ...... Uh.... Did I? (Sweatdrops) Well, any NEW ideas Cancer?

Cancer: Why can't you just say this:

Disclaimer: Yo man, we Twin Girls do not own the Fushigi Yuugi... BUT WE DO OWN KAYLA, SO WHAT ARE YA GONNA DO ABOUT IT HUH, HUH HUH, BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Gemini: (Sweatdrop grows bigger and suddenly collapses to the ground and fainted)...

Cancer: .... What? Well, isn't this disclaimer more UNIQUE than the ones before?!?! Don't you guys think so?

* * *

**Chapter 6: Temporary Truce**

* * *

Kayla woke up to a strange sensation. Her body felt sore and it hurt her drastically when she tried to move _any_ part of her body not to mention an almost intensive raw pain on her right arm.

She tried to open her eyes but found everything blurry as her mind was still making the shift back to reality. Her head hurt a little, but it was at least better than before she had fallen unconscious.

_Where am I now? _She silently asked as she shifted her head to her right and looked at the surroundings through her blurry vision. She was lying on some hard yet comfortable surface in which she presumed to be a bed or something. She realized that her hands were no longer bound together once she had found that she could move her right hand quite freely. However, the raw pain on her right arm still dominated the aches and pains of the rest of her body.

To her surprise, she realized that she was _not_ alone when her vision began to clear! _SOMEONE _was in the same room with her at the moment. In fact, she could sense that his or her presence was very close to her right now!

Her eyes widened in shocked and she was no longer dazed. There was a _MAN_ by her bedside, with her right sleeve torn open and revealing her bare right arm! Her mind was still too shocked to think clearly and therefore she just acted instinctively and irrationally....

_'**SLAP**'_

"HENTAI!!"

"KUSO!!"

The man swore as he held his hand to his face where Kayla had slapped him. Kayla jumped to the farthest side of the bed away from him, facing him in a defensive position ready to attack if he tried anything funny.

The man looked at her clearly annoyed. "What the hell did you do that for?!?!" He demanded.

"You.... You HENTAI!!! How can you even asked that?!?! After you ripped my clothes when I was unconscious!!" Kayla cried back furiously.

The man looked at her in surprise but quickly resumed back to annoyance and anger once more. He then replied in a deliberately slow and forceful voice like he was talking to a three-year-old. "What the hell did you think I was doing?.... In case you haven't noticed, you and I are both men!!! I'm not interested in that sort of thing even though I hate women!!! The reason I torn off that stupid sleeve of yours was so that I could bandage your fcking wounds!!!"

Kayla blinked, then blinked again and finally turned to look down at her right arm. She realized that he wasn't lying. Her arm was injured. It was covered with deep rashes that look like burnt marks. _So that's where the raw pain is coming from.... I must have gotten burned somehow while I had fallen unconscious or something_ she thought as she looked back at the man who had only saved her. Her face felt hot from the embarrassment of making a fool of herself.

"Uummm.... I.... I...." She stammered and didn't know what to say. What do you say to a man whom you just accused of being a pervert, even though he believes that you're a man?

"Save it!" he retorted before she could finish. Kayla could tell that he was in a bad mood. She didn't blame him.

For the first time since she had woken, Kayla took a closer look at the man in front of her. Through all the chaos, she had been too distracted to have actually really looked at the man.

He wore dark beige pants with a matching dark blue trench coat and black boots. Along with the beaded necklace around his neck, he had on a matching pair of earrings. However, his most startling, yet most intriguing features were his flame-coloured hair and his intense golden-brown eyes, which matched the colour of her eyes.

_Wait a minute!!! Flame-coloured.... KAMI-SAMA NOT HIM **'AGAIN!'**_ Kayla couldn't believe her bad luck. It was that annoying, flame-haired baka again! The LAST person she expected to see again. It was all because of _this_ man that she was in this mess!!!

* * *

The flame-haired man studied the boy in front of him. _Strange boy… stupid too_ he thought fumingly. _What an idiot... Did he really thought that I would actually try something funny on him?!?! From how he reacted, you'll think he's a girl or something!_

Despite his anger, he couldn't help but found this boy to be very familiar. That feeling had been nagging him ever since he brought the boy to his hideout. He wasn't sure why he saved the boy from Eiken in the first place. It was not like he cared or something, he didn't even know the boy for Suzaku's sake! However it just didn't feel right to just leave the boy with that bastard. Maybe he just decided to save Eiken's prisoner just to piss Eiken off, it was the only logical explanation he could think of.

He had found the boy to be small and incredibly light when he carried him here on his shoulders. His dark braid was long compared to most men he had seen with long hair before. In fact, the only other guy he had seen with hair like that was earlier yesterday when....

_Damn!!_ His eyes widened in recognition and mentally kicked himself for not noticing it sooner. _It's that same runt who stole my horse last night!_ He thought. He didn't know whether to be angry, shocked or amused from the whole turn of events... Anger won.

* * *

As if on cue, both of them snapped out of their trances and jumped at each other.

"**You**!!" They both exclaimed at the exact same time, determined to chew each other to pieces if needed.

"This is all your fault!!!!"

"Where the hell is my horse?!?!" Both of them shouted at each other, almost oblivious to the other's shouting.

They realized that they were going nowhere and ended up glaring at each other with such fierce intensity that the room seemed to shudder under the mighty aura emitting from the two. It seemed like an eternity before the man broke the silence.

"What the hell did you mean that this is MY fault?!?! You're the guy who stole my freakin' horse!!" He shouted angrily.

Kayla narrowed her eyes. "It is too, _YOUR_ fault, if you had kept your big stupid mouth shut, I wouldn't have been discovered by those two stupid bandits, then I wouldn't have taken your horse which led me into the forest _ONLY_ to be robbed _AND_ kidnapped by _ANOTHER_ group of bandits, which resulted to me being here with you _AGAIN_ by some cruel twisted fate!!!.... Plus I DID NOT _STEAL_ your horse, I was just _BORROWING_ it, I was going to return it!" Kayla shouted angrily before she took a deep breath. She had said all that in one breath, old habits were always hard to change.

The man was surprised at the small boy's ability to talk so much in only one breath but recovered quickly. "Borrowed my ass! You and I both know that you_ STOLE _it!!! Now just where the hell is my horse?!?!"

Kayla was on the verge of exploding. "For the second and LAST time I did not, I repeat, DID NOT steal, I only BORROWED your horse, so get that into that thick head of yours!" She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing. "Besides, I CAN'T return your horse to you even if I wanted to anyway... If you weren't listening to me before, then I will REPEAT myself again!!! I was robbed and kidnapped by some mountain bandits...."

She paused as a question occurred to her. "Just how did I get here anyway? Not that I'm complaining but the last thing I knew was that I was with that bandit leader, Eiken and just who the heck are you?!?! How in the world did I end up here with _you_?!" She said accusingly.

The man smirked at the boy's confusion. He folded his arms in a casual gesture. "What's wrong with being with me? I'm sure I'm a much pleasurable company than that bastard leader you were with before." He said with a smirk obviously mocking her.

Kayla glared at the irritable man, refusing to let him get the upper hand. "Don't flatter yourself." She said impatiently. "Just answer my question alright unless you want to experience another slap on the face," she threatened.

The man snorted at her threat. "I doubt you'll be able to slap me again, you just got lucky that you caught me off guard last time, however.... if you must know, most people know me as Genrou and that so-called _'Leader' _of the Mount Leikaku bandits is a fraud and a traitor. He stole the leader's position when the former leader died. The man who was suppose to take the leader's place afterward had left earlier to find a cure." Genrou's voice lowered in anger as he spoke and his fists tightened as he thought of that bastard, Eiken. He wanted no more than to beat that traitor to a bloody pulp.

Kayla slowly digested the information into her mind as she listened. She looked at Genrou, noticing his fists were clenched in anger. She didn't comment. Instead she asked, "And how do you fit into this whole picture?"

Genrou smirked again. It was really beginning to annoy her. "And here I thought you were a smart little guy," he said mockingly. Kayla glared at his comment but he didn't notice. "I'm the one who was suppose to take over the position when the leader passed away, and so therefore I'm also the one who left to find a cure."

"So you're... you're a BANDIT also?!?!" Kayla didn't know why she was so surprised. She should have figured it out by the way he dressed with his fancy jewellery, his clothes and his downright rude attitude. She stood up from the bed in exasperation. "What's with you bandits anyway?!" Kayla asked frustratingly.

Genrou was confused with her outburst. "What....?" but Kay didn't let him finish.

"Do I have a sign on me that says _'ROB ME'_ or something that I'm not aware of. What is it with me that makes you stupid bandits to keep harassing me all the time and making my life miserable?!" Kayla knew she was being a little unreasonable but it was true. What were the chances of her encountering bandits not one or two, but THREE times within two days? It was like she was a prime target for bandits or something.

Genrou's eyes narrowed at her comment. "Note that _'this stupid bandit'_ as you so-called put it, had just saved your ass or else you would have been still trapped in there and getting your ass kicked if it wasn't for me."

Kayla's temper only grew at the implications he was making it sound like she was helpless. "I didn't need your help, I was fine on my own," she said stubbornly.

Genrou smirked in amusement. "Oh I'm sure you were '_fine_' especially since he had beaten you to a point of unconsciousness last time I checked." His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

"I wouldn't have been in that position if it weren't for you in the first place? This is all your fault!" Kayla was clearly losing her temper as she stepped closer to Genrou face to face (well as close to face to face since she only reached up just underneath his chin anyway).

"My fault?!?! You're the one who stole my horse!" He shouted back.

"I said '_borrowed'_!! Not '_stole'_!!! Get that into your thick skull already!!"

"And I say you stole!"

"Borrowed!"

"Stole!"

"Borrowed!!"

"Stole!!".....

Both of them could have gone on arguing forever if it wasn't for the unexpected knocking at the door that had broke the fierce tension in the room. Both stopped arguing and turned to face the door while continued shooting each other death glares.

_'Knock, knock.'_ "Who's there?... It's me, Kouji, here to see Genrou, his best friend.... Kouji! Come on in, the doors' unlock!.... Thank you."

Kayla sweatdropped, undoubtedly knowing whom it was at the door. She only knew of one man with that strange knocking habit.

Kouji opened the doors and stepped in, revealing his ever confident, yet casual grin on his ruggedly handsome face. "Genrou!" He cried as he saw his best friend.

"Kouji!!!" Answered Genrou, forgetting his recent argument for the moment. He went over to Kouji, hooking his arms with him and started dancing in circles in their traditional bandit dance they did every time they see each other.

If possible, Kayla's sweatdrop grew bigger. _That's even a bit weirder than Kouji's knocking habit_ she thought as she watched the two of them danced.

The two bandits eventually settled down from their dance and started joking around and basically ignoring Kayla for the moment. Kouji then finally noticed the unexpected '_guest_' in their secret hideout.

"Hey it's you!" Exclaimed Kouji in recognition of the boy from before. He was wondering what had happened to him after Genrou went to surprise Eiken with his presence. "Are you alright? Sorry that I had to leave you in there with Eiken but as you had seen, I had no other choice but to follow him until Genrou gets back."

Kayla regarded him suspiciously but realized that he was actually being sincere. She smiled a little. _At least he seems more decent than that flame-haired baka over there_ She decided. "I'm alright I guess."

Kouji nodded "That's good, hey! I didn't catch you name last time but you know mine, so what is your name?" Genrou listened, surprised that his friend knew this boy before. Amazingly, after all this time talking/arguing with the boy, he too didn't catch his name either.

"It's Kayla," Kayla answered without thinking. Then she cursed herself when she realized her mistake too late.

"Kayla?" asked Genrou with one eyebrow raised in surprised. "Don't you think that's a little.... a little too girlish for a boy's name?"

_Shit! Why did I tell them my real name? It's too suspicious to have a girl's name when you're suppose to be a **BOY!** It's too late to go back now, how am I going to fix this?!_ Kayla could kick herself for slipping up, now she would have to think of some other excuses _fast_ before Genrou and Kouji get too suspicious and figure out her secret!!

"Ummm.... you see my parents had always wanted a girl and they even thought of a name for her, which is Kayla but when they had me, a '_boy_' obviously, they decided to keep the name because they were uhh... lazy I guess.... yeah... umm... too lazy to think of another name. That's why my name is kind of girlish hehe..." She tried to explain as she made it up along the way. _That was so lame!! I hope they will buy it, please let them buy it!!_ She silently prayed as she waited for their responses.

"O...k.... whatever.... _Kayla_..." Genrou started slowly, not really knowing why Kayla was acting so nervous about his own name. He didn't really care what his name was and neither did Kouji as he just shrugged in indifference.

"So how did you get here Kayla?" Kouji asked. However before Kayla could answer, Genrou had already answered for him. "I saved him while Eiken was beating the crap out of him," he said with a smirk. That made Kayla mad again

"I didn't ask for your help." She said stubbornly again.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," Genrou replied, waving his hand with indifference, which made Kayla even madder. She was about to burst at his ignorance when Kouji decided to step in before things went too far.

"Genrou, I've figured a way to get into the hideout and steal the Tessan back from Eiken without hurting our own men," Kouji said facing Genrou. Genrou's eyes darkened at the mention of the traitor's name. "It's about time, I was beginning to think that I would have to wait forever or something for a little action like that." He replied, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

They continued to talk as Kayla watched them, not really knowing what she could do. In moments like these where she had nowhere to go and without a friend by her side, she couldn't really help but feel a little lonely. She wished that her parents were with her. _Okasan... Otosan.... I still miss you terribly, it still hurts too much_ she thought as her hand went unconsciously to her chest where her necklace would be. She gasped, when she felt nothing. Her necklace wasn't there! She realized immediately that her necklace was still in Eiken's greedy clutches! She had to get it back, even if she had to tear down the whole stronghold to do it!

Genrou and Kouji stopped talking when they heard Kayla gasped. When they looked to see what was happening, they saw a frown appeared on the boy's expression. Then to their surprise, he began to walk towards the door. "Where the hell are you going?" demanded Genrou, though it didn't seemed like he was overly concerned.

"Back" retorted Kayla as she opened the door.

"What! They'll catch you the minute you set one foot in there!" exclaimed Kouji, shocked that the boy could be so foolish.

"I don't care," answered Kayla. "I have to get my necklace back, it's all I've left." One could hear the little desperation in his voice as he started out the door.

Kouji quickly closed the door before Kayla could walk out and grabbed her arm to stop her. Unfortunately, he had accidentally grabbed Kayla by her injured arm and she yelped in pain. Kouji let go instantly as he realized his mistake. He then looked at Kayla with disapproval. "See, you're still injured. How do you expect to get in without getting caught first?" He asked challengingly

"I don't care, I'll find a way, it won't be a problem," whispered Kayla stubbornly while cradling her injured arm. She didn't have a choice. She had to get it back. It's all she had left from her parents.

"You mean it's suicidal. You talk some sense into him Genrou" Kouji said, looking at his best friend for help.

However, Genrou snorted and just folded his arms across his chest in an 'I-don't-care' sort of manner. "I don't see why you care. Just let him go do whatever he wants, get himself killed for all I care, he's been nothing but trouble since I first met him." He said harshly as he leaned against the wall.

Kayla silently fumed at his comment while Kouji rolled his eyes. "Geez... you're a lot of help, thanks a lot" he replied sarcastically. Genrou grinned, showing off his famous fangs. "You're welcome," he replied. Kouji just ignored his friend's comment and turned back to Kayla "Look, I know how much you want to go back but if you can wait, we already have a plan of how to get in unnoticed"

Kayla looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you helping me? Why do you care?"

Kouji grinned "I don't... it's just that having you storm in there and getting caught will alert Eiken and the others and it'll spoil our own plans to get in unnoticed.... so what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

Kayla hesitated as she looked at Kouji's expression. He seemed trustworthy enough even though he was a bandit. After all, he was somewhat nice to her even when she was caught. However, she couldn't be too sure with Genrou as she looked at him, still leaning against the wall waiting for her answer. It was just that ever since she had met him, she was constantly in danger. _However..._ she thought. _He **did** saved me even though he didn't have to... that kind of proves that he does have a heart under all that big ego of his... plus Kouji seem to trust him a lot too._ She nodded as she made her decision.

"On one condition," she said looking up at Kouji, indicating that she meant business. "I have to come with you."

"What?!?!" cried Genrou as he jumped up and stormed to where the other two were standing. "There is no fcking way that I'm going to let some boy tag along and spoiling our plans." He glared at Kayla but for once she ignored him, as she fixed her gaze on Kouji who seemed just as surprised.

"I won't be in the way and I won't spoil your plans if that's what you're worrying about," she said determinedly. "Either you let me come along or I'll go alone and risk getting caught. It's your choice." She folded her arms waiting while Genrou was swearing up a storm.

"I can't believe we're even having this conversation! If we're so worry about him alerting Eiken, I say we just tie up the runt and gagged him before we go!" Genrou said, looking at Kouji while grinning evilly at Kayla.

Kayla shot him a warning glare. "If you dare so much as to even touch me, I'll swear you'll live to regret it," she threatened. "Just try me!" Threatened Genrou as he advanced towards Kayla but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder holding him back. He turned to see Kouji who smirked at him.

"We may need his help" Kouji replied, and Genrou could swear that he heard amusement in his voice. _He actually thinks this is funny?!?!_ He silently fumed. "I doubt it," retorted Genrou, still glaring at Kayla who returned the favour with another death glare, hence another glaring contest.

However, Kouji ignored it and hold out his hand to Kayla. "You've got yourself a deal, truce?" Kayla smiled and took his hand in a firm hold. "Truce," she confirmed while secretly flashed Genrou a cocky _'I-win- this- round' _smirk.

Genrou shook his head in disbelief. _Damn! We're screwed!_

* * *

_"**THIS**_ is your plan?!?!" exclaimed Kayla as she stared at the near hidden cave in front of her. Beside her stood Genrou while Kouji was somewhere else at the moment carrying out the plan. A few hours had passed since they had made this temporary truce and already she was beginning to have very doubtful thoughts.

Genrou let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, _this_ is the place, you've got a problem with that?!"he demanded as he looked at Kayla. To his surprise, he saw the boy looking at the cave seemingly uncomfortable. _Suzaku! Is he actually nervous?!?! In going into a cave?!?! This should be good... Bwhahahaha!!_ He mentally laughed. One could practically see the evil glint in his eyes and the wheels turning in his head.

"N...No!!" answered Kayla, trying to control her stammering. "It's just that when you said a secret passage to the leader's room, I was expecting.... expecting... well certainly NOT expecting this!" she said pointing at the cave.

Genrou looked at Kayla strangely then smirked. "What were you expecting? A fancy hallway with decorations and a sign that says _'Secret Passage'_ on it or...." he leaned towards Kayla and whispered. "Or are you afraid of the dark?"

"I am NOT afraid of the dark!" retorted Kayla as she glared at the annoying man beside before looking back at the cave again. _He's laughing at me! I can't believe this!_

Genrou smirked at the boy, obviously satisfied with himself. "Good," he replied as he headed towards the cave without a backward glance to see if Kayla was following. "We better get this over with, Kouji will be waiting for us on the other side. Of course.... if _you_ don't want to...." He let the option hanging as he went into the cave, no doubt laughing at Kayla.

Kayla hesitated for a moment before following him into the cave. There was absolutely NO way she was going to let some egotistic jerk get the better of her. Even if it meant that she had to go into some unknown cave with a man whom she only met a few hours ago.

Self-preservation was never her strong point.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Gemini: Wow!!! This has been one long chapter and it had taken me a while to write it. However I really enjoyed writing it. BUT this story is not getting enough REVIEWS!! (starts crying)

Cancer: (Pats Gemini on the shoulder). There, there Gemini, it's not the end of the world (hands her a handkerchief)

Gemini: WAHHHH!!!!!! BUT IT IS!!!!!!! (Cries harder)

Cancer: (Sweatdrops) Uummm.... well at least you still have me to read your story.... Hehehe....

Gemini: (Stops sobbing and hugs Cancer in a tight grip). Thank you, Thank you.... you're my only friend in the whole wide world!!!!

Cancer: (Starts to turn blue and chokes) Please.... get her.... off me!!!!.... PEOPLE.... PLEASE REVIEW so that she can.... turn back .... to normal already!!!!

For those who have been following this story, we thank you very much, it's nice to know that some people like our story. We hope you enjoy chapter 6!! and chapter 7 will come soon AFTER we get some more feedbacks, we promise LOL. Anyway, what can possibly happen next for Kayla and Genrou (Tasuki) in a cave and when they battle Eiken?!?! Your guess is as good as ours! Bye for now!!


	7. A Deathly Fall

Gemini: I just want to take the time to be serious for a moment

Cancer: (Sweatdrops) That's a first

Gemini: (Hits Cancer at the back of the head) Be quiet this is serious!!

Cancer: Ok, Ok (whispers). This is getting creepy, Gemini? Serious? (Shudders)

Gemini: I HEARD that!! (Gives Cancer a warning glare)

Cancer: .........

Gemini: (Clears throat) I just want to solemnly thank all those readers out there who had been reading this fic and given us reviews in support. It meant a great deal to us and believe me, it could really motivate a person when he or she's down. Even if it were a bad review (with good reasons to back it up of course) we would read it and try to improve. Afterall, this _is_ our first fic right? There's bound to be some mistakes one way or another. What's the point in writing when you can't evolve and improve to become better right? Honestly, we really enjoy writing this fic and we don't think we'll stop anytime soon (especially when Cancer and I have big plans with this fic) so don't worry (smiles sincerely at the reviewers and readers). Okay I'm done being serious now (rubs hands together) so Cancer, you have anything to say before I write the disclaimers?

Cancer: That's....

Gemini: Yes?

Cancer: That was soooooo beautiful (breaks down cries hysterically)

Gemini: umm...o...k.... I'll take that as a compliment I guess

Disclaimer: We, Twin Girls do NOT own Fushigi Yuugi and it's storyline. Yuu Watase and other large corporations in which we have no part of created it. We only own Kayla and other characters that did not belong to the original series.

Gemini: Oh yes.... P.S. Dear Mana Rosa and Yuki, we read your reviews and we are very flatter to be in your favourite list. To all you readers out there who had reviewed and supported our fic. We dedicated this chapter especially to you guys and we hope that you guys will enjoy it.

Cancer: (keeps crying harder)

Gemini: (sweatdrops)

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Deathly Fall **

* * *

The inside of the cave was a little chilly compared to the outside. The deeper they went into the cave, the darker it got especially when there was no fire to light their way. Kayla was having trouble seeing where she was going; in fact she couldn't even _see_ Genrou who was leading the way. She could only follow by relying on the sounds of his footsteps ahead of her. But the fact of how Genrou knew where he was going without actually seeing in this dark boggled her mind.

Not being able to see was making Kayla feeling vulnerable and could only hoped that Genrou would lead them out soon. It wasn't that the cave that really scared her, but the fact she was more worried about what was actually _inside_ the cave. Who knew what could be hidden away in the dark that could jump at you when you least expected it? Even worse, there must to be **_SPIDERS_** in here, Big, fat, hairy spiders with eight long ugly legs that hung on their webs ready to jump onto your head or....

_Stop it!!_ Kayla silently screamed to herself. _After_ _so many years and I still can't get over my fear of spiders.... just stop thinking about it!!! I'm only scaring myself even more. Just follow Genrou's footsteps and don't touch anything and you'll be out in no time_!!

After a few more minutes of walking in silence, Kayla was becoming increasingly anxious to get out. "Are you sure you know where you're going in this dark?" She asked impatiently.

Genrou stopped to answer. "Of course I'm su...." He didn't get to finish his sentence when Kayla accidentally bumped into him, since she couldn't see that he had stopped walking. The unexpected impact led her to fall to the ground almost causing Genrou to fall down with her as well. "Hey watch where you're going!" Genrou said obviously annoyed.

Kayla glared at him, yet it was pointless since he wouldn't see it. "Well you can't blame me, I can't _see_ where I'm going since I can't even see my own two hands in front of me!" She shouted back as she scrambled back up and pushed past him fuming, walking ahead. She didn't really know nor cared where she was going at the moment; she just wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

Genrou sighed in frustration, he hadn't really meant to yell but it didn't help since he was in a shitty mood. He went to find Kayla, not really wanting the boy to get lost at a time like this _especially_ in this dark. "Will you stop playing childish games?! We still have a plan to follow!" He cried frustratingly as he jogged blindly trying to find Kayla.

Kayla stopped walking in the dark when she heard his voice and turned around to face the direction of the sound. She was about to retort back, when Genrou practically crashed into her not knowing that she stopped. This time, the both of them fell to the ground with Genrou on top...

"Oof..." Kay felt the wind knocked out of her when she fell on the ground for the second time on her back. For a moment she was still thinking about the pain when suddenly she realized that GENROU WAS ON TOP OF HER!

His warm body trapping hers in such an awkward yet intimate position. Kayla felt her whole face flushed in horror. They were TOO close. He was bound to notice something if he stayed in this position for too long. However for the moment, she was still too stunned to do anything as she felt his breath on her neck causing her to tremble slightly. After a few more moments of awkward silence between the two, Kayla finally found her voice. "Get OFF of me you big HENTAI!!!" she yelled as she struggled to get him off her but to her horror, she only succeeded in making it worse as their arms and legs got tangled with each other.

"If you...oww.... stop.... oww... struggling... OWW.... I'll get off!" Genrou yelled as his arms and legs got more twisted from the struggling. Realizing she was getting nowhere, Kayla finally calmed down and laid still as Genrou shifted his limbs free and got off of her.

Kayla sighed in relief hoping he didn't notice anything out of the usual about her when he had been on top of her. She felt that her face was heavily flushed and for once she was thankful that it was too dark in the cave to see anything.

Another awkward silence rested between the two causing Kayla to become even more nervous. Then Genrou just grabbed her by her good arm and began leading them back towards their destination all the while mumbling curses and how they were wasting time. Kayla didn't complained and let him lead on.

While Kayla remained silent, Genrou's mind was in a turmoil of confusion, all caused by the long-haired boy behind him. When he accidentally fell on top of Kayla and felt his body against his own, there was nothing out of the unusual except.... something had felt.... different... yet he couldn't pinpoint _exactly_ what that was. Also unintentionally, he noticed that up close, Kayla carried a scent. Not like those masculine scent that most men carried around but something else... something more floral, like the blossoms during the spring time... more... what was the word?... feminine?

Genrou shook his head to clear his mind since none of it made any sense to him. _Kayla? Feminine? That was weird; he is anything BUT feminine_ he figured as he thought back to how Kayla constantly argued with him since they first met. All that endless determination he had shown despite his foolish and reckless behaviour. The boy had guts, he would only gave this boy that much. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. _Damn! No use to think about it now, it doesn't even make any fcking sense.... besides there's more important matters at hand._

* * *

Kouji was waiting for them on the other side of the cave. As it turned out, the cave had led them to one of the leader's private rooms inside the stronghold. Not many people knew about it, not even Eiken.

"It's about damn time you show up," said Kouji when he saw the two came out of a secret passage behind a wall.

"Is everything set?" Genrou asked while Kayla followed

Kouji nodded "I gave Eiken his dinner and he's taking his nap like he usually does around now, you should be able to steal the Tessan back without him knowing."

"Why is the Tessan so important?" asked Kayla, the question had been in the back of her mind since she had heard Genrou and Kouji spoken about it so many times.

"The Tessan is an iron fan. It's a powerful weapon with the ability to shoot flames with a special incantation. It was the prized weapon of the former leader and was supposed to be passed down to Genrou as the next leader. Unfortunately, Eiken stole it when Genrou was gone. Since the Tessan is very powerful, the rest of the bandits have no other choice but to follow that bastard." Kouji explained.

Kayla nodded in understanding. "So all we have to do is to steal the Tessan back, so that Genrou can reclaim his rightful position without hurting your fellow bandits and I could get my necklace back." She concluded.

"You've got it," Kouji replied with a grin.

"Enough talking and more action. Let's get the Tessan back and kick Eikan's ass!" cried Genrou, raising his fist for emphasis and his eyes gleamed with determination.

"Shh...." hissed Kouji as he quickly covered Genrou's mouth much to Genrou's annoyance. "Don't be so loud or someone will hear you."

Genrou finally calmed down and they all silently headed towards Eiken's room where he would be sleeping. It wasn't long till they reached the doors. It was the same room Kayla was in when Eiken beaten her. She couldn't help but find this to be a little unnerving or even a bad omen.

"Kayla and I would go in and Kouji, you keep watch outside," instructed Genrou. They all nodded in agreement, then Genrou and Kayla snuck in quietly while Kouji kept watch.

When they snuck in, they were both relieved to find Eiken on his bed snoring loudly. Fortunately, they spotted the Tessan quickly.... but unfortunately they found the Tessan held tightly within Eiken's grasp while he was sleeping.

Kayla looked at Genrou questioningly. "Leave it to the expert," he whispered, giving her his fanged-grin before quietly and swiftly making his way towards Eiken.

Kayla held her breath as Genrou tried to take the Tessan out of Eiken's grasp slowly without waking him up. He _almost_ succeeded when suddenly Eiken's two hands shot out and grabbed Genrou around the shoulder and pinning him down against him in a tight grip!

Kayla's breath got caught in her throat. _Dear God, he's going to wake! S_he thought in horror. Luckily, to their relief, Eiken did not wake up. However he still had Genrou along with the Tessan in a tight embrace while mumbling something about 'pretty women'. Genrou was stuck.

"Kuso! Bastard's having one of his perverted dreams!" Genrou hissed as he tried to get out of Eiken's grasp but failed.

Kayla sweatdropped at the scene before her, she would have found it funny, if the situation wasn't so risky. _Now what? We can't stay like this forever_ she thought urgently as she tried to find some way to help Genrou.

Meanwhile Genrou was getting more frustrated by the minute, and he was _really_ tempted to just punch the daylights out of Eiken and get the hell out of this mess. He looked disgustedly at Eiken.... and panicked. _Kuso! Is he going to KISS ME?!?! _He stared in horror as Eiken's dream took a different turn in which now kissing was becoming involved. Unfortunately in reality, he was slowly leaning towards Genrou for a full lip-locking _KISS!_ Genrou was in trouble!! He looked around desperately and saw Kayla still standing there deep in thoughts.

"Don't just stand there! Get me out of this fcking mess!!" Genrou hissed at Kayla while at the same time trying to control his panic as Eiken's lips came closer.

Kayla snapped out of her thoughts when she too began to panick as Genrou was being pulled closer and closer towards Eiken. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking, don't rush me!" She hissed back searching her mind for any possible way to release Genrou without actually waking Eiken up.

"Well think FASTER!" Genrou was clearly in hysteria by now.

"Calm down! You're going to wake him!"

"How can I '_calm down'_ when I'm about to be kissed by a guy and it's EIKEN! KUSO!" Genrou felt like he was about to throw up.

"I've got it!" said Kayla trying not to raise her voice in triumph as an idea clicked in her head. Despite she was going to be thoroughly disgusted in what she was going to do next.

"Well hurry up! I don't think I can take this any longer!" Genrou said impatiently.

Kayla made her way towards them, and she leaned very close to Eiken's ear slowly.

Kayla was so close to them that Genrou could once again catch the spring blossom scent that was emanating from the boy. _Why is he pausing like that and not doing anything!_ Genrou fumed silently as Kayla just seemed to pause with his lips very close to Eiken's ear. All of a sudden, Kayla let out an _EXTREMELY FEMININE_ giggle!! _What the hell is he doing?!_ Genrou thought as his eyes widened with shocked and surprise.

Kayla _really_ hated this, but it was the only thing she could think of. _This better work_ she thought as she clenched her fist. Then she did something she never thought she would do even though for the fact that she was actually a _girl_. She spoke in the most womanly manner she could think of, and lowering her voice into an almost seductive tone.

"Eiken, my sweet don't hold me so hard...." her words flowed into Eiken's ear like a lullaby

Genrou was sure his eyes were literally bulging out of their sockets and a huge sweatdrop was forming on the back of his head as he watched what Kayla was doing. He realized what Kayla's plan was, but he couldn't really believe that the boy would _actually_ do it! What was more unbelievable was that Kayla was actually doing a _good_ job at disguising his voice as a woman! His voice was convincingly feminine, seductive and most alluring, which Genrou couldn't help BUT be shocked. He didn't think that this tough little boy could pull off such a stunt. He found this was _very_ disturbing. Kayla's _seductive feminine_ voice was even more alluring than some of the voices from of the _real_ women he heard before!

"Eiken my dear, why don't you let me go so I can perform my special strip dance for you?" Kayla continued. Genrou felt goosebumps as his imagination ran away with him after this comment and conjuring up unwanted images in his head. He felt _very_ uncomfortable with it.

However, amazingly Eiken responded to Kayla's suggestion and began to loosen his grip on Genrou. After some more persuasion from Kayla, Genrou was finally out of his grasp. Both sighed in relief as they watched Eiken stopped mumbling and began snoring again. Both were silent as neither wanted to comment on what had happened just moments ago. Then they turned to each other and Genrou decided to speak first.

"If you ever so much as to breathe a damn word about this to anyone I swear...." he started threateningly. However Kayla waved her hand dismissing it. "Yeah, yeah I know, believe me; I don't want anyone to know either. I don't think anyone would be amused in what _I_ had to do to get _you_ out since my reputation as a _boy_ is in stake," she replied emphasizing on the 'boy' part. Both nodded in silent agreement promising to never speak of the incident again.

"That was _too_ close," sighed Kayla as she stepped back completely unaware of the flower vase behind her. To her horror, she accidentally knocked the vase down and it fell to the ground with a big 'C_rash!!_'

"You baka! What did you do that for!" yelled Genrou.

Kayla winced."It was an accident!" she defended.

Genrou didn't have a chance to say anymore when a loud cry was heard. It came from Eiken, who had woken up and had cried out for the other bandits.

_Uh oh _Kayla thought as a group of bandits stormed into the room including Kouji himself. Unfortunately the Tessan was still within Eiken's grasp. It looked hopeless. The only other way out other than the entrance was the balcony, which led to a death drop off a deadly cliff. It was definitely not a good option to take, so they were basically trapped.

"Kuso! Looks like we have to resort to Plan B" Kouji said as he looked around grimly.

"And what would that be?" muttered Kayla as she surveyed her surroundings and backing away from the other bandits.

"We take action and we kick some ass." He answered back.

"That's just fine with me" responded Genrou as he took a defensive stance, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"So Genrou, you've decided to come back huh... Good. It saves me the trouble of coming after you myself," Eiken sneered, waving the Tessan tauntingly.

Genrou glared at him with a promise of an undeniable pain to come. "Be careful of what you wish for you bastard, even if you have the Tessan, you're still no match for me!" He threatened.

"We'll see about that Genrou. Get them!" Eiken ordered. The bandits hesitated, not wanting to attack their own men.

"What are you guys waiting for?! Get them or you'll suffer the wrath of my Tessan!" shouted Eiken furiously. The bandits winced at the threat and they attacked Genrou, Kouji and Kayla altogether while Eiken started shooting massive flames with the Tessan.

_Kuso! I hate_ _this_ Genrou thought angrily as he swiftly dodged a sword that nearly pierced him and knocked his attacker unconscious. He quickly looked over at Kouji who was handling himself well fighting with his sword. Kayla was faring okay, defending himself in hand-to-hand combat. However he seemed to be outnumbered as two bandits attacked him at once. Nevertheless, Genrou still found his hands full to be able to help Kayla. He blocked another punch and swiftly gave a kick to his attacker's stomach sending him to the floor in pain. He had been so tied up that he almost didn't catch Kayla's voice among all the chaos.

"Genrou! Look out!" screamed Kayla, Genrou turned around too late as a burst of hot flames shot towards him. If it weren't for his quick agility and reflex, he would have been a dead man by now. Unfortunately, he had dodged a little too late and ended up with a slightly singed shoulder.

"Damn! Should have kept my eye on Eiken," Genrou cursed himself for being so careless. Eiken looked at him with an evil smirk as he prepared to launch another attack at Genrou while he was still distracted.

* * *

Kayla had just finished with the two bandits who attacked her by knocking them unconscious. Her eyes quickly scanned the room for Eiken. To her horror, she found him by the balcony and was about to launch a full fire attack with the Tessan at the distracted Genrou.

"Genrou! Watch out!" she cried. Genrou heard her warning and instantly dodged the flames, but had gotten slightly burned from it. She sighed in relief. Despite the fact that Genrou constantly irritated her, she would have never asked for him to be dead no matter how much she hated him and especially since he had saved her life after all. Her eyes quickly caught Eiken as he prepared to launch another attack on Genrou while he was still down. This time, she wasn't sure if Genrou would be able to dodge it.

_I have to stop him! _She thought alarmingly as Eiken raised his Tessan ready to speak the incantations that would insure the death of Genrou. Without thinking, she instantly charged at Eiken. Using the speed and momentum to her advantage, she was able to catch Eiken off guard. With her whole weight, she knocked Eiken's arm that was holding the Tessan causing its flames to shoot elsewhere and missing Genrou.

"Why you son of a btch!" shouted Eiken, furious that his chance was interfered by Kayla. He angrily punched Kayla on the face and pushed her aside forcefully causing her to fall back.

Kayla felt like her head was going to explode from Eiken's punch. She was forcefully pushed aside causing her to lose her balance. She was unaware of the balcony edge behind her and she found herself falling over the edge and into the darkness below. She didn't even have the time to scream.

* * *

"KAYLA!" cried Genrou as he watched in horror when Eiken knocked Kayla over the balcony edge. He quickly ran over to the balcony hoping that it wasn't too late. He searched over the edge frantically but he couldn't find Kayla. The boy had fallen over the cliff and Genrou wasn't able to save him this time.

Genrou clenched his fist in anger and despair. Kayla fell over the cliff because he was trying to stop Eiken to save _him_! He couldn't believe that the boy was actually gone. He didn't deserve this, no matter how annoying he had been. No, he didn't deserve this at ALL!!

Genrou's eyes flashed dangerously at Eiken who stood there ready for him. _The bastard's going to pay!_ He thought angrily. He let out a battle cry and charged head on towards Eiken with a burst of amazing speed.

"Lekka Shinen!" yelled Eiken as he launched the flames towards Genrou. However, even though Eiken possessed the Tessan, Genrou had the speed and he was ready. He dodged the burning flames easily never slowing down his speed and with one quick movement he brought his fist up and sent a hard blow to the stunned Eiken causing him to drop the Tessan. With another swift kick, he knocked Eiken to the ground in a matter of seconds. Genrou then picked up the Tessan and pointed it threateningly at Eiken who lay frozen in pain and fear on the ground.

"Stop the fighting NOW!" Genrou commanded, stopping the battle around him. The bandits looked in shocked to find that their 'leader' was now on the floor defeated.

"I am now in possession of the Tessan. You lost Eiken, I should kill you right now for all you have done to our fellow bandits and to that boy whom you pushed down that balcony," threatened Genrou angrily.

"P....please have mercy Genrou-sama, you don't want to kill me. Please don't kill me," begged Eiken as he pleaded for his life.

Genrou looked at the man with undisguised contempt. "Hold him." He ordered. The bandits, who were relieved to be free of Eiken's orders, complied without complaint. Two men went over to Eiken, pulled him to his feet and held him in place so that he couldn't escape.

Genrou then turned back to the balcony and looked. No Kayla. _Damn! It's my fault that he's gone_ Genrou thought angrily as his hand clenched onto the Tessan until his knuckles turned white. _If he hadn't tried to help me, he'll still be standing here right now_

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Kouji whose expression was grim and mournful as well. "We can still send some men down there, maybe he's still alive," suggested Kouji hopefully.

Genrou looked away and down at the darkness of the seemingly endless cliff over the edge. "No one can survive that fall... no one." He whispered grimly. He slammed his fist on the balcony edge bringing out his frustration. "Damn you Kayla!" he shouted into the darkness angrily and despairingly. "Why did you have to be so stupid?!" _And brave_ he added silently as he closed his eyes in grief.

"Will you stop talking like I'm dead already?! I'm down here you know!!" shouted a familiar voice.

Genrou's eyes snapped open and looked at Kouji thinking that his mind must surely be playing tricks on him. But the look on his friend's face clearly stated that he had heard it too. Hoping against hope, they both searched the cliffs again, squinting against the darkness.

"There he is!" cried Kouji as he pointed towards the right. Genrou eyes squinted against the dark and then widened with shock and relief. Nearly hidden, but unmistakably, there was Kayla, still alive!!

Kayla gritted her teeth as she forced herself to hold on with both of her arms quickly getting numb. Her right arm still throbbed in pain from her earlier burns. When she fell over the balcony, she thought that she was a goner. But she had made an attempt to grab hold of anything to prevent her from her early death. Luckily, she was able to grab onto a hanging branch near the side and was holding onto it for what she was worth ever since.

"Kayla! Are you alright!" she heard Kouji's voice overhead.

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Hmmmm.... let me think, I fell over cliff and now hanging for dear life on a branch over a possible fall to my death. What do you _THINK_?! Of course I'm _NOT_ alright!! Get me up right NOW!!" She hadn't meant to snap, but can they blame her if she wasn't exactly in the most comfortable situation right now?

"Hang on!" came the response. After a few moments, a rope was flung over the side reaching for Kayla. Using the last of her strength, she grabbed hold of the rope and began pulling herself up despite the protest of her injured arm. After for what seemed like an eternity, she finally reached the top. With the help from Genrou and Kouji, they hauled her back over the balcony and back on solid ground. She gasped heavily for breath as she felt like she was about to fall to the ground right then and there from utter exhaustion.

Genrou looked at Kayla in disbelief and amazement that he survived barely. _He really IS tough_ he thought. Despite, Kayla's tiny appearance, he had endured the pain that would have broken most men. Here is this boy, standing looking almost half-dead from exhaustion covered with scratches but standing as if pride and determination was the only thing holding him up. Impressed, he gave Kayla a slap on the back in a friendly gesture. "You crazy baka... we really thought that you were a goner!"

Kayla almost stumbled from the hard slap, courtesy of Genrou. She glared at him, but there was no real threat behind it this time. "Takes more than that to get rid of me," she said giving a weak smile still too tired from everything that happened.

"Glad you're ok, we were really worried," Kouji said with a grin, relieved to see that the dark-haired boy was ok.... hurt... but alive at least.

"You mean _you_ were worried, _I_ wasn't" Genrou replied with a smirk and looked away. However one could tell that he was obviously lying.

Kouji winked at Kayla. He silently laughed at his friend's stubbornness. _He's just too damn proud to openly admit that he actually cared when he thought Kayla was hurt or dead_. He thought amusingly. "Whatever you say Genrou.... ummm... what do we do with him?" he asked openly pointing at Eiken who was still being held by their men.

They all turned to look at Eiken, and were surprised that they almost forgotten about him.

"Tie him and lock him up with some men standing guard until I deal with him later," commanded Genrou, his voice filled with authority without doubt. The bandits nodded and went out to carry their new and rightful leader's orders.

Genrou then remembered something important.

"Wait," he commanded just as the bandits were about to leave the room with Eiken. He walked up to Eiken and held out his hand. "Hand it over," he ordered.

"H....hand what over?" stammered Eiken cowardly.

"The necklace that you stole from him," answered Genrou indicating to Kayla.

Without protest, Eiken reached beneath the folds of his clothes and took out the necklace revealing it's stunning red stone pendent shining with the inner light. With shaky hands, he placed the necklace on Genrou's hand. Genrou nodded. "Go." He ordered and they left.

Genrou then turned back and walked up to Kayla. He took Kayla's hand and placed the necklace onto her palm. "Here, we had a deal." He said with almost a hint of sincerity.

Kayla's eyes widened with surprise and relief as she held dearly to her mother's necklace. Then she looked back up at Genrou. Her golden-brown eyes shone and glistened with unshed, happy tears. A genuine smile appeared on her face, one that lighted up her entire face. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Gemini: Whew..... this chapter is finally done, and wow, it seems like this is one of our best chapters too! What do you think Cancer?

Cancer: (Closes her eyes and sit with her arms crossed) Che... Don't forget I'm the one who gave you all those WONDERFUL ideas Gemini... What do ya think, OF COURSE THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST CHAPTERS MAN!!!

Gemini: (Sweatdrops) Well, but this chapter won't turn out to be THIS GREAT without my FANTASTIC writings you know, and sheesh, since when did you become such an IGNORANT Cancer!?!

Cancer: (Stands up and walk towards Gemini until they're practically face-to-face) who are you calling an ignorant huh, you BAKA!!!

Gemini: (Steams coming from the top of her head) you, you STUPID!!!

Cancer: (Narrows her eyes) LOSER!!!

Gemini: FREAK!!!

Cancer: PIG!!!

(And the battle goes on and on...)

Dear readers, since our authors are having an constant endless argument right now, this should be the time to thank you guys for all of your supports, and please don't forget to REVIEW for this wonderfully written chapter too, LOL. And here is the next chapter's preview: What happens to Kayla and Genrou after their battle with Eiken? Will their relationship improve or will it only gets worse? Stay tune and find out what will happen in Chapter 8. See you guys for now.


	8. Adapting To A Different Life

**Disclaimer:** We, Twin Girls do NOT own Fushigi Yuugi and its storyline; it is created byYuu Watase and other large corporations in which we have no part of. We only own Kayla and other characters that did not belong to the original series.

Gemini: Sorry for keeping all you readers waiting, but we finally had time to update. For all you readers who had been doubting us...... NO, we did not abandon this fic. No way will we abandon this story LOL. We were extremely busy with school, with homework, assignments, quizzes, tests..... (Keep going on and on and on......)

Cancer: (Arch her eyebrow) UH... GEMINI!?!?!

Gemini: What?

Cancer: I really hate to interrupt your fabulous, exciting speech here, but I'm just wondering... would you be quiet anytime soon???

Gemini: Hum.... not really, why?

Cancer: Why? WHY?!?! YOU ASKED WHY?!?! IT'S BECAUSE nobody would want to hear you complaining endlessly about your problems especially when the readers are anxious to read what would happen with Kayla and Tasuki, YOU MORON!!!!

Gemini: (sweatdrops) oops.... hehe sorry....

Cancer: Oh My God and they say you're the OLDER and the more MATURE one.... HAHAHA Guess they were wrong!!!!! BWHAHAHA!!!! Man, they should have REVERSED the order in the horoscope when it comes to the levels of maturity, HAHAHAHAHA!!!

Gemini: (gags Cancer and shoves her into the closet) Humph.... just because I am more mature doesn't mean I can't rant you know (turns back to readers) Anyway.... Enjoy the chapter everyone (hears Cancer breaking through the closet door) Uh oh....

* * *

**Chapter 8: Adapting To A Different Life**

* * *

Once again Kayla woke up with the sun glaring at her face. However, this time instead of waking up in the streets like before, she woke up in a bed inside a comfortably spacious room. "Just a few more minutes," she mumbled to nobody in particular as she pulled her covers over her head, wanting to block out the sun. It wasn't long before she fell back into a blissful deep slumber like before. She was never really a morning person to begin with.

"Knock, knock,... who's there,... it's Kouji here to wake Kayla up for breakfast under Genrou's order,.... okay Kouji come in,... OK…" Kouji opened the door to Kayla's room quietly. He peeked in and frowned. There on the bed laid a figure undoubtedly Kayla hidden underneath the blanket. The boy had amazingly slept through his entire knocking speech. He stepped into the room and towards the bed. He lifted the blanket revealing Kayla sleeping soundly underneath. Kayla didn't stir a bit, completely oblivious to his presence.

Kouji stood there and smiled affectionately as he watched the sleeping boy. It was hard to believe that this boy was the same boy who constantly got into an all-out-tongue-lashing argument with Genrou that Kouji often found amusing to watch. However, the Kayla before him now seemed very different from the Kayla he often seen when he was awake. The Kayla before him now seemed peaceful, innocent and.... what's the word? .... Fragile? Now, he was just lying there with his eyes closed and mouth slightly parted. His dark bands were covering his eyes, contrasting with the paleness of his face. No, he didn't seem so bad....

Kouji leaned down and gently shook Kayla on the shoulder to wake him up. "Kayla.... Kayla time to wake up now," he said. However, Kayla didn't respond except mumbling a few incoherent words. Maybe he should let him sleep a bit more.

"Hey Kouji, what's taking you so long to wake him up? I had...." Genrou stopped by the door when Kouji instantly motioned him to be quiet. Genrou looked in to find Kayla still in bed sleeping soundly. He looked at Kouji questioningly. "What the hell? He's still asleep?!?!" He asked Kouji, lowering his voice a little. Kouji nodded in response. "Yeah, seems to be a shame to wake him up when he seems so peaceful," he whispered back.

Genrou's gaze went back to Kayla, still lost in his own dream world. He did seem peaceful, not to mention _MUCH MORE_ quieter and bearable when he wasn't awake and fighting with him. Hell, he doesn't even seem to be the same annoying boy that had been irritating him for the past month. Kouji was right, it would be a shame to wake him up however.... an idea came to Genrou's mind and an evil smirk spread across his face. Kouji looked at him curiously. "I'll be right back" Genrou replied as he sprinted out of the room suddenly. Kouji looked at him suspiciously._ What is he up to now?_ He thought as he waited.

A few minutes later, Genrou came back still wearing that same evil smirk. The one that promised mischief and chaos to come. In his hand, he held a steel pan, which he found in the kitchen and a wooden spoon in the other hand. "Genrou, what are you...." Kouji stopped when he realized Genrou's intentions. "Umm.... Genrou, do you think that's a good idea? Kayla is going to be pissed off."

"That's exactly what I want," answered Genrou with a smirk as he made his way towards Kayla. Kouji stepped back with a sense of foreboding.

'_BANG BANG BANG!!!_' went the steel drum as Genrou hit them mercilessly with the wooden spoon. It was so loud that most likely the whole stronghold had heard it.

"Ahhh!!!...." cried Kayla as she bolted up and fell off the bed from the unexpected ambush inflicted upon her. "Ugh...." groaned Kayla, her ears were still ringing with the abusive banging that had woken her up. The banging had stopped and was replaced with the sound of laughing. A laugh that Kayla had grew a little too familiar with and heard often when she had stayed here. Kayla looked up and glared at Genrou who was laughing like a maniac obviously pleased with himself. Kouji was behind him trying not to laugh, but seemingly failing.

"Why you...." Kayla hissed in annoyance and anger. _How dare he!_ She searched around the room and conveniently found a stick that was lying against the wall.

Genrou thought his side was going to burst from laughing so hard. It had been worth it to see that look on Kayla's face.

'_SMACK!_'

The next thing Genrou knew was that he found himself crashing against the wall. His head was in a constant turmoil as he looked back at the satisfied Kayla who was standing there with a stick in his hand. "#$&##" Went Genrou, once again starting up his impressive vocabulary.

"Yeah, well _you_ started it," retorted Kayla.

"Well you wouldn't fcking wake up!!!"

"You didn't have to scare me to death!!! You BAKA!!!"

"Who are you calling a baka you #$&?!?"

"What did you call me?!?!"

Once again with the argument while Kouji stood there with a hand over his head. "Not again," he mumbled shaking his head.

* * *

After Kouji had pulled them apart from their argument, both Tasuki and Kouji had left Kayla to change and to get ready. Kayla picked out some men's clothes from the closet. She had been lucky enough to get some clothes from Kouji and some that belonged to the other bandits. All that she had had been the one set of clothes she stolen from her cousin that were now too torn to wear. Although the clothes had been way too big for her, it was a wonder what a needle, some threads and a pair of scissor could do.

She sighed as she began to change her clothes. She readjusted her underclothes including the cloth that binded her upper body. Then she changed into some cleaner men's clothes. Then out of habit, she checked herself on the mirror in her room to make sure her appearance didn't look out of place.

This routine had grown into a daily ritual that Kayla performed every morning during the month she stayed here at the Leikaku bandit stronghold with Genrou and Kouji. Ever since the incident with Eiken, she had continued to disguise herself as a boy. Fortunately, up till this moment, Genrou, Kouji and the other bandits still didn't suspect anything, which suited Kayla just fine. She didn't want to risk it.

When she was done, she walked out of her room to meet the others for breakfast. She hadn't gotten very far when she heard footsteps behind her. "Ohayo Kayla!" a warm, cheerful voice called out from behind.

Kayla turned and smiled warmly at the brown-haired man who called her. "Ohayo Toushi," she greeted back.

"Where are you going?" Toushi asked as he caught up to walk beside her.

"Breakfast, I'm hungry."

"That's good, I'm going there too, hopefully there's still some food left for us. You know how those guys eat," Toushi chuckled good-naturally.

Kayla laughed as well. Toushi had been among one of the first bandits to welcome her presence during the first few days she had spent here.

She was known by everyone in the hideout mostly because of the incident with Eiken. In the beginning, other than Genrou and Kouji themselves, the other bandits had kept their distance from her. Past awkward incident had caused the other bandits to be still uncomfortable with her. However, Toushi had broken that barrier between Kayla and the bandits and the two of them had become fast friends.

Slowly the other men had begun coming around afterwards and soon she had gotten along with most of the Leikaku bandits. Despite the fact that they're bandits, they were actually good men at heart under the rough exterior, and not that hard to get along with.

When they reached the dining hall, half of the men were already gone after they finished their breakfast. After surveying the room, Kayla saw Kouji and Genrou sitting by the table. Without another word, she made her way towards them with Toushi following.

"Hey guys, sorry to be...." Kayla's words trailed off. She stopped a few steps away from the table, her jaws dropped, almost touching the floor and her eyes were as wide as saucers. "I can't believe this! Can someone PLEASE tell me I am not seeing this?!?!"

Genrou smiled smugly as he watched Kayla's expression.

"Since when did you start developing an appetite of a PIG Genrou?!" Kayla scowled.

Genrou just simply stared at her with that ever so superior look on his face. "Hey, it ain't my fault that you came for breakfast so late, ya know," he retaliated.

Kayla just stood too shocked at the fact of how there was practically nothing, not even a piece of bread crumb left on the table. She could tell from the look on Genrou's face, that he was trying to get her back for what she had done to him this morning.

_So it's a pay back huh, that's what this is all about.... _Kayla eyes narrowed. "Well, you could be at least _decent _enough to save us some food instead of shovelling it all down into that so-called stomach of yours!" Kayla retorted expecting Genrou to explode from her comment, but out of her expectation, he was as calm as ever.

Genrou had his feet up on the table, and his chair was leaned slightly backward, with his arms behind his head and his eyes were closed (_I hope he falls off that chair and breaks his neck _Kayla thought darkly). "Hey, first off, since when did I say I have to be decent with someone like you? Secondly, I'm not the ONLY one who ate all the food, and thirdly, I would show more respect to the _Leader_ of the Leikaku bandits if I were you." Genrou calmly stated with that wicked smirk that never left his face.

Kayla could tell that Genrou was DEFINITELY up to something, and if this had anything to do with her in particular, she could tell that she was **_not _**going to enjoy it. Kouji smiled at the sight of both of them.

"Here Kayla, I've managed to save two sweet buns for you, and you too, Toushi" Kouji pushed the dish with four buns before Kayla as she sat down followed by Toushi. "Thanks Kouji, you're such a gentleman, unlike _someone_ here" Kayla raised her voice deliberately emphasizing her point.

Genrou arched an eyebrow. "Who told ya that I'm a gentleman?" He replied mockingly " After all, you're talking about a bandit here..." he paused, and then continued. "Nah, it should be the LEADER of the bandits, and since when are the bandits known as gentlemen?"

Kayla rolled her eyes at Genrou's remark. "Man, I just don't know what did the earlier leader saw in that hot-headed excuse of a man and favoured him over everyone else. I mean you could have become the leader, Kouji. In fact, ANYONE on this mountain is a POTENTIAL LEADER besides that PIG over there!"

Kouji and Toushi couldn't help but smiled at Kayla's remark.

Genrou (much to Kayla's irritation) wasn't even fazed by Kayla's taunting. "Well, obviously Kouji ain't as smart and strategic as I am...." Genrou replied as his smirk grew wider if that was possible ".... and plus I just happened to be the best fighter in this stronghold too" That smirk was really beginning to annoy Kayla badly.

Kouji knew that Genrou was trying to get Kayla back and shut him up, so he wasn't really offended by Genrou's remark. In fact, he always found it amusing whenever Genrou complimented himself like this.

Kayla on the other had didn't even bother to respond back to Genrou's comment. She was actually hoping that she could finish her breakfast as fast as she could so that she didn't have to stay in the same room with this arrogant man. She was shovelling the buns down her throat before she could even swallow her first bite.

"Oh, by the way, speaking of fighting, Genrou and I were having this discussion before you guys entered the room. We were thinking that maybe Kayla should join us for training this afternoon." Kouji spoke out.

Kayla's eyes widened in horror and instantly choked on her buns. She coughed violently, spitting out the food… right on Genrou's face.

"What the hell did you do that for?!?! Didn't your mama teach ya to cover up your freakin' mouth when you cough?!?! KUSO!!! You got it all over me now!!!" Genrou complained as he tried to wipe off the crumbs stuck to his cheeks and forehead.

Kayla ignored Genrou and stared at Kouji, disbelieving of what she had heard. Kouji, as being the most observant around noticed that Kayla was no doubt unenthusiastic about the idea. He quickly continued before letting Kayla could protest. "Well, you see, it would help you improve your defence skills greatly and you will be able to protect yourself even without us around. Besides, Genrou and I will be your trainers during your lesson too, and I promise we'll be easy on you when you first start off," Kouji said with a warm, friendly smile across on his face.

Seeing the sincerity in Kouji's face, Kayla would have wanted to accept his offer. In fact she would have actually look forward to it. However, the fact of how _GENROU _was going to be the one to train her sent a shiver feeling down her spine. She knew that Genrou would do _anything _just to torture her during her training. _It's not going to be a pretty scene Kayla, _she mentally warned herself.

"Oh com'on Kouji, you do know that you're talking to a _gutless_ little runt here don't ya? It's okay. _Obviously_ he's scare of us...." Genrou raised an eyebrow and leaned towards the table and spoke again in a lower tone, ".... or am I the one who's scaring ya ass off?"

Kayla seethed at his mocking tone. _This man is really full of himself. _"What the hell are you talking about?!?! Are you calling me a coward here?! Did I ever say that I'm not going to the training?!?! Well if not, then would you mind shutting your mouth and stop babbling for once!!!" Kayla shouted, her temper had obviously reached its limit.

"Very well then, I guess I'll be seeing ya this afternoon hm?" Genrou stated as he stood up and began to walk swiftly towards the door as if he had not a care in the world.

Kayla froze. She realized too late that this was Genrou's plan all along. He had used her pride against her and she fell for it.

_Damn! What have I gotten myself into?! _She thought angrily as she glared at the back of Genrou's retreating form and sighed dejectedly. _Let's just hope that I'll be back in one piece after this training_.

* * *

"Kayla, watch out!" Kayla turned around too late. Before she knew what was happening, her sword was knocked out of her hand. Then a foot swept under her, knocking her to the ground. "Oof..." she grunted as she fell right on her back.

She tried to get back up, but found herself frozen when her own sword was held warningly against her throat, keeping her in place. She glared up at the flamed-hair man who now held her own sword against her. Genrou just smirked as he once again beaten her in their little spar.

In the background, she heard Kouji sighed. Half the day had gone by now and Kouji had been trying to teach her how to use a sword in combat. Genrou had conveniently offered to be her practice opponent, saying that he wanted to help. _Wanting to help my ass! He just wanted an excuse to beat the living daylights out of me! _She thought bitterly as she swatted the sword away from her neck and scrambled back up, trying to regain back some of her wounded pride.

She winced at her sore back. No doubt it was bruising by now from falling on it so many times. So far the current score was Genrou: 8 and Kayla: 1 where Kayla had been lucky to get close enough land a punch on Genrou's gut when he was distracted. However, the other times he was just too fast making it hard for her to keep up especially with a sword in hand. It wasn't her fault that she was inexperienced with weaponry, since she never had a point in life when she would require any.

"It's okay Kayla, you're just beginning so it's hard to beat Genrou since he has more experience with or without any weaponry," Kouji said trying to be supportive when he saw how discouraged Kayla was becoming while Genrou stood there teasing him mercilessly.

"That's right! You can't beat me no matter how hard you tried. You just got lucky with that _one_ time you elbowed me. I'm way faster and stronger. Face it, you just can't even beat me with that sword of yours and I was fighting you with my _bare hands," _laughed Genrou, oblivious to the death glares Kayla was sending him.

Kayla bended her head, "You're right Genrou, I can't beat you...."

"That's right IWHAAAT?!?!?! ....." Genrou expected Kayla to retort back, not _agreed_ with him. It had literally thrown him off balance.

"I mean, you're right Genrou that I can't beat you with a sword," Kayla raised her head, and her eyes shone with new determination. She turned to Kouji, "Kouji, I don't think using the sword suits me very well, why don't we work on developing my hand-in-hand combat skills instead since I'm more experienced with it." Kouji nodded in understanding. "If that's what you want Kayla, and Genrou can continue to be your opponent while I watch and coach you."

Genrou who had recovered from his initial shock, began once again to put on a battle stance ready to start. "Fine, whatever Kayla, but don't think that just because you're only a boy and not as strong that I'm going to be easy on ya."

"Let's just start already, I'm ready for you," Kayla retorted as she took defence.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya," and before anyone could respond, Genrou charged forward with a burst of speed. Kayla reacted by blocking his attack. However, the force of his attack had been enough to cause her to stumble back. He continued to throw her a series of punches and attacks and Kayla blocked while returning a few attacks of her own. Without anything else to hold her down like a weapon would, she was considerably quicker and more agile.

She had never forgotten all the things her father taught her when he had trained her when she was younger. However no matter how she hated to admit it, Genrou was a good fighter. He was agile, strong and extremely fast to an extent that it seemed inhumanly impossible. She couldn't understand how he could be so quick, as she struggled to block off his attacks.

Genrou was somewhat impressed that the boy could hold out for so long so far. Though he was still holding back his full strength, he was already using more than the usual amount to fight Kayla. He blocked another punch from Kayla that had almost succeeded in reaching his face. _A little too close.... fine, time to finish this off_. He made his decision and took action.

To Kayla's surprise, just when she delivered a kick, Genrou leapt over her head, avoiding it and landed behind her. Before she could respond, Genrou had his arm around her neck in a locking grip. She tried to get out, but his hold was tight, not enough to choke her, but firm enough to hold her in place.

"Haha, I won again Kayla, guess I had overestimated you. I expected you to put up a much better fight than this," laughed Genrou as he continued to hold Kayla in a lock hold from behind. "Admit it, you just can't beat me, you hit just like a damn girl!"

Kayla's eyes narrowed at his comments _especially_ the last one. _Why that egotistic baka!! How dare he?!?! I'll make him eat his words!!! I'll show him just how hard this **damn girl** can hit! _Using her full force, she kicked Genrou on the shin, catching him by surprise and causing him to lose grip. Then she brought out an elbow and connecting it to his stomach easily knocking the wind out of him. His grip loosened even more and she freed herself from his hold. As the final move, she took his arm and flipped him onto the ground with a large _THUMP. _

For a brief moment, everyone was silent as each of them slowly digested what had actually happened. Kouji was the first one to break out his stupor. "Su... Sugoi! Good work Kayla! You actually knocked Genrou to the ground! Not bad at all!"

Kayla blinked and looked down at the stunned Genrou and then back at her own hands, still a little surprised that she was able to pull it off. _Kama-sama! I did it! I did it! I beaten Genrou for the second time! Hahaha.... Look at him! he's practically in shock! Humph.... serves him right for underestimating me, HA! _Kayla smiled, barely able to keep all her excitement within. "Oh, it was just a _lucky_ shot.... I'm _sure_ Genrou was just taking it easy on me." She looked back at Genrou and tried to restrain herself from laughing out loud. He was still lying there.

"Well, that was one hell of a lucky hit if you asked me, where did you learn to fight like that?" Kouji asked as he walked up towards them.

"My.... father taught me when I was really young.... he's not here anymore," she answered hesitantly, not feeling too comfortable to talk about her past.

Sensing Kayla's hesitation on the subject with her father, Kouji just nodded and turned back to Genrou. "Hey Genrou, you okay buddy? You're not mad are you?" Kouji asked chuckling a little at his friend's awkward position.

"Yeah Genrou, are you okay? _I _didn't hurt you_ TOO _much****did I?" asked Kayla, her voice coated with sugar and pure amusement. Genrou just lay there and gave them a _'don't-push-it-or-you'll-die'_ look. "Feh, I let you win," he replied rigidly.

"Ok Genrou, whatever you say, com'on Kayla, let's go eat something, I'm starving."

"Good idea Kouji, so what do you think I could improve on?"

"We could work on your attacks more than your defence, so that you'll be a real good fighter."

Kayla and Kouji continued to converse and walked off to get themselves some food. Whether they had been unaware or had just completely forgotten, they had left Genrou behind who was still lying there where Kayla had managed to knock him down. "What the hell just happened?!" He swore as he stared up at the blue sky above. In the distance he could hear the birds chirping merrily as if they, too were mocking him.

* * *

The rest of the day had gone by without delay, but Kayla was dead tired and her body felt sore all over from the training earlier. It was very late at night and Kayla made sure that most of the men were asleep before she snuck out and made her way down a familiar route through a nearby forest. She was very tired and her body was all sweaty. That was why she was out here in the first place, she needed a bath badly but could only do so in a nearby lake she discovered from Toushi.

_Just because I dress like a guy doesn't mean I don't care about my personal hygiene and right now I stink like I just had a roll in the mud or something, thanks to Genrou._ She thought disgustedly as she made her way towards the lake.

It wasn't long before she arrived to a clearing where a small yet peaceful lake was found. Despite the numerous of times that she had came here before; the view had never failed to amaze her. _This place is just so beautiful._ She looked appreciatively at the dark sky and saw the full moon shining proudly, providing a welcoming glow on the peaceful land. The steady, calm lake reflected its light and image. Stars were scattered across the emptied sky providing the only company for the lonely moon.

_Looks like this is going to be another relaxing night for me, _Kayla thought as she began to remove her waistband. She took off her trousers, and within seconds, she slipped off her oversized shirt and gently laid it on top of her pile of clothes beside her. In one swift move, she quickly and gently removed the piece of cloth used to hide her feminine figure from the outside world. Lastly, she untied her hair band and her hair immediately flowed down to her back.

The moonlight brought out the violet highlights of Kayla's hair as she slowly began stepped into the lake and stopped when the water level reached up to her chest. Despite the fact that it was night she was lucky the temperature of the water was bearable. It was cold at first but when her body had adjusted to the initial shock, the coolness had proved to be soothing for her aching muscles. She gently used her hand to splash some water on herself while with the other hand to rub the dirt from her face and body. She faintly ignored the scars on her body. Over time, her scars had healed into just thin white lines and could barely be seen from a distance. However like all scars, they can be easily seen up close (the more recent ones being even clearer).

Kayla looked at her own reflection in the water. The bright moon provided enough light for her to see herself clearly of whom she had became. A girl who must hide her real gender in order to escape her tortured life. She absently ran her fingers through her wet hair. Her hair used to be so long, practically past her waist. However she had to cut it in order to fit with her disguise. Now it only barely reached halfway down her back. She supposed it was a small price to pay for her freedom. She wondered how much longer she would be able to keep this charade up until someone eventually found out. She could only hope that no one will find out anytime soon

Part of her had often wondered why she was still hiding in the first place. Nevertheless, she would always come to the conclusion that it was simply just too risky to let anyone know. It was not that she did get along with many of the bandits. But with a few exceptions like Kouji, Toushi and even Genrou, most of them had gotten along with her because she was known as the 'boy' who had help defeated Eiken. That had gained her a little respect from them. To them, she was still known as a _boy, _member of the same gender. Who knew how they would react if they knew that she was really a girl? It seemed silly to worry so, but then again, maybe not.

Another reason would be the risk of her uncle's connections with other people. She knew her uncle was a powerful man and travelled practically everywhere for business. It would be only too easy for her uncle to pull a few strings and have men looking for her everywhere if he hadn't done so already. If she went back to being a normal girl once more, it was very likely someone will eventually find her. She just had to be careful and hopefully with time, her uncle would think she is dead or something and eventually give up looking for her. Until then, she would have to settle with looking and living as a boy for now.

Her third and final reason for having her secret remain a secret was Genrou. She knew the man hated girls for reasons she did not know. Kouji told her so, when she asked him one day why she saw no females in the stronghold. Genrou had never denied that fact either. Almost everyday, she practically heard him criticizing something about girls since she had met him. Who knows what his reaction would be if he ever found out that she was really a girl? She virtually always got on his bad side most of the time when she was a boy to him. No, it was definitely not a wise idea to make it worst and let him know her secret.

As she continued bathing, she found herself contemplating more about the fiery-haired man. He was the most irritating man she ever met. She didn't know why he always had to pick on her when he didn't seem to pick on the other men as much. It was like he enjoyed making her life difficult as if her life wasn't already difficult enough. Luckily she had enough sense to always fight back or just plain ignored him. Sometimes, she would kick herself for thinking that maybe he was actually a _nice_ guy since he helped her get her necklace back in the first place. That had been a mistake.

She wasn't sure what to think of him. He was always switching roles from being her friend (somewhat) to an annoying baka that she found herself constantly on her toes whenever she was with him. At least he didn't treat her like an enemy, which had surprised her considering the excessive fights they always get into. Kayla sighed. Despite his many faults, it was easy to say that he was very loyal to his friends and the other bandits of the stronghold and had proven to be a serious leader who constantly looks out for his men. For that, the men trusted and respected him and she had to give him credit for that.

_'CRACK!' _

The sound startled Kayla out of her thoughts. She turned and found that the sound were footsteps coming from the route she had came from. "Who's there?!?" There was silence. "Show yourself before I come and kick your ass!!!" she threatened trying to hide the trembling panic in her voice.

A dark shadow appeared at the pathway from the forest, and Kayla narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?" She demanded while she was trying to hide herself under the clear water, which did not help very much. Before Kayla could do anything, a man began walked towards the clearing, his features revealed underneath the moonlight. Once Kayla noticed the flaming colour of his hair, and instantly froze from shock. _Speak of the devil!!_

"Uh-oh!" She suddenly felt as if there was no longer any air around her, or as if her lungs were suddenly filled with water. Either way, she was having a REAL hard time breathing. _Yeah Kayla, 'uh-oh' is right. You know too damn well who this idiot is!!! Dammit! What the hell does he think he's doing out here in the middle of the night like this?!?!? Worst of all, he just has to show up in the middle of my bath! KUSO! WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSE TO DO NOW?!?!_

Kayla decided to swim towards her clothes and hoped that she could make it out in time before Genrou could see her clearly. But it was too late, before Kayla could reach for her clothes, Genrou was already stumbling his way towards her. _Wait a minute.... STUMBLING?!?! Does that mean...._ a flicker of hope ignited within her up and she glared at the figure that was approaching towards her.

"Genrou, what the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the damn night?!?!" Kayla demanded as she glided through the water towards her clothes. She quickly grabbed her shirt and flung it over herself to cover her figure as she stepped out of the water before Genrou came too close to see her. Although the shirt only reached down to her thighs when she kneeled down on the grass, her shirt was still large enough to cover herself decently. However, one could still see her _true_ gender once they laid eyes on her during that moment.

"I shall be da one ta ask ya that question ya loud mouth! What are YA doing out here ya little runt?!?" Genrou stumbled forward and dropped down in front of Kayla, allowing her to gaze clearly upon Genrou's face. He was so close to her that Kayla could smell sake emitting strongly from Genrou's body and she winced. _Damn, he IS drunk!_

She quickly turned away in an attempt to grab her clothes and flee the scene as fast as her legs could carry her. But before she could make another move, a strong hand grabbed her arm and yanked her back down to her original position. "Where do ya tink ya goin?" Genrou smirked showing off his fangy grin. He placed his hand on her shoulder and began pulling her closer to him.

"Ya know, it was quite impressive of how ya knocked me down this afternoon." He patted Kayla on the back repeatedly almost knocking her down, his fangy grin never leaving his face. She swatted Genrou's hand off her shoulder and turned away from him. "Go away Genrou, I'm not in the mood for fighting if that's what you're looking for."

Suddenly his hand gently grabbed Kayla by her chin and slowly turned her head around so that she came face-to-face with Genrou. Kayla could instantly feel her cheeks burning hot as she looked into his amber eyes. His handsome features were outlined clearly under the moonlight and his eyes seemed so soft and gentle at the moment. Kayla blushed harder at the thought. _Kama-sama! What am I thinking?!? This ain't the time to think about how good-looking this idiot is.... you should be thinking about..... about how the hell to get OUTTA HERE!_

"What's wrong Kaylaaaa???" Their eyes were locked with each other for a long moment until all of a sudden Kayla realized that Genrou's gaze began to move _downward_. She froze. _Oh no! Not good!_ Kayla didn't dare to make any sudden movements as her cheeks began to flush even more.

Genrou's jaw seemed to drop more and more every moment as his gaze continued to move downward. His amber eyes were bulged out as if they were about to fall out of his eye sockets anytime soon. He blinked repeatedly.

Kayla would have found Genrou's expression quite amusing if it were not for the terribly _awkward_ situation she was in right now, or else, she would have burst out laughing hysterically. "You...." Genrou started with a trembling voice, sounding as if he just seen the scariest and the most terrifying creature in the world.

_Damn, if he keeps on staring at me like this, I swear I'm going to claw his eyes out!_ Kayla thought angrily yet fearfully as she waited for his reaction.

"You..." he continued. "How come your have **_BREASTS_**?!?!" Genrou finished with a look of pure shock hanging over his face.

Kayla's eyes widen in fear, yet at the same time she became even angrier. _Arrrg.... THAT'S IT!!! He's going to get it this time!!! I'm stopping this before it gets any further then this!!!!_ Kayla quickly looked around to find something useful and handy and spotted a long but rather thick stick beside her. She quickly grabbed the stick and turned back to Genrou.

_Oh.... this is going to hurt HIM more than it's going to ME!!! _"Hey Kouji," she said loudly and pointed out behind Genrou, "What are you doing here buddy?" Genrou turned around immediately to the direction Kayla was pointing at.

'_SMACK_!!!'

Kayla brought the stick down over the back of Genrou's head hard. Genrou groaned in pain before he fell down out cold. Kayla sighed as she eyed his prone form on the grass floor. _Damn you Genrou! You just have to do this to me don't you? Is it too much to ask for a peaceful night without any interruptions?! _

She quickly put the rest of her clothes back on and began to drag Genrou by his feet back towards the stronghold. He was too heavy for her to carry and felt a morbid sense of satisfaction as his body dragged through the dirt and some rather rough rocks.

_He's going to be sore in the morning.___

From a distance not too far away from the bottom of Mount Leikaku, three figures headed up the mountainous region. They had been traveling for a long time and had decided to rest for the night. Each of them carrying the same purpose and hopes of finding the three other individuals whom would help them to continue on with their journey and to meet their destinies.

* * *

**Authors' Note:**

Gemini: (Sighs and drops dead on the floor) This is a KILLER! I never expected it would take me that long to write this chapter man!!!

Cancer: (Closes her eyes and meditating) Yeah well, but we are talking about your PACE here, so what do you expect Gemini?!?!

Gemini: HEY! What does THAT suppose to mean?!?!?

Cancer: Well, obviously I meant that you are a SLOW POKE, as slow as GENBU, you know, the TURTLE god. But you can forget about the GOD part, and just remember the TURTLE part Gemini. (Smirking, and is as calm as ever)

Gemini: Grrrr!!! What is it Cancer?!?! What do you want from me huh?!?!? A FIGHT?!?!? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THERE?!?!?! ALRIGHT, STAND UP AND FIGHT ME YOU DONKEY!!!!

Cancer: (Thinking).....

Gemini: (Puts on her boxer gloves and starts jumping up and down in front of Cancer, ready to fight) What's wrong you COWARD?!?! AFRAID TO FIGHT WITH ME HERE OR WHAT?!?! HAHA, YEA THAT'S RIGHT, I'M GONNA BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YA IF YOU FIGHT ME YOU BAKA!!! SO COM'ON CHICKEN, LET'S FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!!!!

Cancer:.... So, what do you guys think of the story so far, like it, love it, or... well, I'm sure no one will hate it, right pals (wink, wink). Hum... by the way, have you guys ever try to meditate, it's soooo KOOL, you guys should try it sometimes, it helps you to relax your brain and it clears your mind too....

Gemini: (Sweatdrops and fainted)....

Cancer: (Turns to Gemini)... Wow, she must be suffering from iron deficiency, man, no wonder she always fainted so easily, better give her some medicine, or maybe..........A NEEDLE MIGHT HELP!!!

(Cancer takes out a needle instantly and insert into Gemini's upper arm)

Gemini: AARRGGH!!!! What the HECK WAS THAT?!?!

Cancer: A needle of course.... hum.... hold on.... where did I got this needle from?!?!

Gemini: (Swallows hard)....

Cancer: Did anyone see me disinfecting the needle before I insert it into Gemini's arm?!?!

Gemini: OMG! (Turns blue and fainted again)

Hey guys, sorry for posting up this chapter so late, the authors were having a tough week from school, but anyways, here is chapter 8 and 9, hope you guys will enjoy it.... And yeah, regarding to the three mysterious guys at the end.... it's pretty obvious of who they are, and the authors promised that they will make their appearance as soon as possible, so just sit back and enjoy the story. See you guys later! -


	9. It's All in the Matter of Trust

**Disclaimer:** We, Twin Girls do NOT own Fushigi Yuugi or its storyline, it is created byYuu Watase and other large corporations in which we have no part of. We only own Kayla.

Gemini: (walks out of the emergency room from the hospital) Stupid Cancer has to stick an infected needle in my #$ arm. When I get my hands on her.... (Starts to take out a book entitled **"1001 Ways To Torture An Enemy"**) hmmm.... Interesting.... ooohhhh.... that looks good BWHAHAHA!!!

_(Change in scene)_

Cancer: (Found meditating in the television room surrounded by chanting music and burning incense like a homemade personal shrine) the holy peace of TV time can give one peace of the mind and serenity to ones trouble thought.... (Pauses and frown when she feels disturbance in the air) hmmm.... I feel a foreboding presence.

Gemini: HIIIIYAAAA!!!!! (Jumps out of nowhere and throws a sack over Cancer's head, tying the opening and trapping her inside) BWHAHAHAH!!!!! I got you now for my sweet revenge!!! Now let's see.... (Takes out her torture book and reads)

**Step 2: Bring your prey to Taiitsukun....**

**Step 3: Asks Taiitsukun to turn your prey into a nyan-nyan therefore becoming her slave for the rest of her life**

Hmmm..... Sounds good to me (place a stamp on the sack containing the struggling Cancer and wrote an address to Mount Taikyoku and stuffed Cancer into the mailbox) Byebye Cancer!! Nice knowing you, have a nice life with Taiitsukun. BWHAHAHA!!!!

_(Scene fades away slowly)_

Cancer: (Tap Gemini on the shoulder) Wake up Gemini. It's noontime now, so get your lazy ass off the bed man!!! HELLO!!!

Gemini: BWHAHAHA!!! BYEBYE CANCER!!! DON'T MISS ME TOO MUCH BABY!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!

Cancer: (Sweatdrops) O.... K.... I guess she's dreaming about me again huh, man, she should stop doing that! I mean what would the readers and the public think when they find out about this!!! (Sighs and leaves the room)

Gemini: BWHAHAHA!!! SEE YA IN THE NEXT LIFETIME CANCER!!! BWHAHAHAHA!!!!

* * *

**Chapter 9: It's All In The Matter Of Trust**

* * *

Morning came not long after, but Kayla had not slept at all after last night's incident with Genrou. She had managed to drag him back to his room and put him in his bed where he laid there unconscious. She had spend the rest of the night too worried about him waking up and remembering what had happened last night and thus figuring out her little secret. What would happen if he found out that she was really.... well.... a '_she_'?. Given the knowledge that he hated girls, he would probably be furious and drive her away or maybe even worse! She shuddered.

_That's it!! I can't take this anymore! I have to go check on him. I have to go see for myself if he knows anything!_ She nodded as she made up her mind, and she bolted out of bed and got dressed. _If he doesn't remember anything then that would be just perfect, but if he does..... well.... at least I would know. The suspense of not knowing is driving me insane!_ She thought as she finished and practically ran out of her room heading towards Genrou's room, silently praying.

* * *

Genrou woke up with the sun glaring upon his face and instantly sat up. Bad idea.

"Owwww..... KUSO! What the....." he mumbled as he immediately laid back down. His head was hurting like hell due to a serious hangover. For some reason, the back of his head was throbbing, almost like there is a bruise or something. He couldn't figure what could have caused it. His mind was in an utter turmoil and he had no freakin' idea as to what the hell had happened last night. All that he remembered was drinking too much out of sheer boredom and had taken a walk for some fresh air, what had happened afterward had been a big blur. All that he recalled was the distant sound of water and for some reason; he remembered a voice that sounded very much like Kayla's. Then he figured he must have blacked out since there was nothing else he had remembered.

Strange indeed. And definitely very annoying.

When his vision began to clear, he looked around and was surprised to find himself back in his own room. _How the hell did I get here? I don't remember coming back to my room _he wondered. Then he heard a knock on his door. "Go away Kouji, I'm in a fcking bad mood!" he yelled thinking that it was most likely his best friend coming in to give him a wake up call. _I swear that guy's like a freakin' rooster or something_. However his door opened to reveal a certain braided boy instead.

"Hey it's me... ummm... can I come in?"

"Kayla?" Genrou was surprised to see Kayla walked in and closed the door behind him. "What do ya want?"

"Umm... nothing....I....umm.... just want to see how you're doing," Kayla stammered as he appeared to be looking at everything in his room _except_ him.

_Why does he look so damn nervous?_ Genrou wondered before his headache grew worst. He groaned. "I having a $$ hangover, what do you think?"

"Oh...really? Oh I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt...."

"You are?" Genrou couldn't help but to be a little startled by Kayla's sudden passive behaviour. _Why is he so nice to me all of a sudden? Something must be wrong_. "Wait a minute, how did you know I'm not feeling well this morning. You don't happen to know anything about the bruise behind my head do you?" He asked suspiciously.

His question seemed to have triggered a response, because all colour had drained from the boy's face. He went hysterical, speaking non-stop completely in nonsense. "I didn't mean for it to happen! It just did! Please don't be mad, I didn't have a choice, it wasn't my fault that you happen to be there all drunk and couldn't even walk in a straight line, don't be angry please, I have no where else to go, I....." Kayla went on and on and Genrou couldn't make any damn sense out of it. He was speaking too fast and it only made his headache even worst. His annoyance grew and like other many cases in the past, he lost his temper.

"KUSO! KAYLA SHUT UP! What the hell are you talking about?!"

Kayla immediately stopped and looked up at Genrou wonderingly. He looked obviously pissed off and yet in pain at the same time. Then realization kicked in. _Maybe... maybe he really didn't remember what had happened last night_ she thought as she felt a slight surge of hope. "Sorry...umm.... you don't remember what happened last night do you?" she asked quietly while avoiding Genrou's gaze, all the while praying that he did not hear the nervousness in her voice.

Genrou just groaned again and mumbled a few incoherent words (most likely some more curses). He put a hand on his head and fell back down on his bed. "Damn! I don't know.... my mind's a total blank, all I remembered is drinking a little too much sake and taking a stroll... after that is one fcking messy blur." He moaned unaware of Kayla's relieved expression.

_Thank the Gods! He doesn't remember anything. Maybe that blow in the head I gave him had helped more than I expected _Kayla thought secretly smiling a little.

"However...." Genrou started again.

Kayla's smile vanished and froze "H...however?"

"However, I think I remembered hearing your voice before I blacked out, care to explain to me why?" He asked suspiciously, his eyes fixed at her conscientiously despite his headache.

Kayla flinched unnoticeably under his intense stare knowing that he was not going to back down until she gave him an answer. _Uh oh...better think fast Kayla, say something, say ANYTHING before he gets too suspicious_ She thought frantically. She spoke the first explanation that came to her mind. "Well... you see, you were drunk... really drunk... and you were walking in the forest. You tripped and hit your head against a rock or something and blacked out. I found you and brought you back here."

"And just what were _you_ doing out so late at night?"

"I.... I was outside stargazing, it was a beautiful night you know," Kayla spoke quickly. She couldn't very well tell him that she was bathing. It was just too embarrassing and could erratically trigger a memory or something if she told him the truth. "Of course you were probably too drunk to notice anything," she added, slowly allowing herself to relax a little since she knew now that he didn't remember anything important.

"Che...don't remind me, damn this annoying headache!" Genrou swore again.

"Maybe that will teach you to give up drinking so much," Kayla smirked a little as she watched Genrou.

"Yeah right, I'm not going give up sake just because I'm having a fcking hangover."

"Men..." Kayla grumbled without thinking, shaking her head.

Unfortunately Genrou heard her comment and gave her an odd expression. "What is _that_ suppose to mean? You're a guy too you know," he pointed out a little puzzled.

_Oops._ "Hehe of course I am!!" She said a little too loudly "I meant that I just don't understand men like _you_," she mended quickly.

"And you probably never will," finished Genrou, apparently letting her slip-up slide.

They became silent for a while. Kayla was just about to decide that she should leave when Genrou spoke up again. "There's one more thing I want to know."

"What's with all the questions all of a sudden?" Kayla demanded. It was beginning to annoy her that Genrou was constantly questioning her as if she couldn't be trusted.... like a criminal. That was a little ironic considering that _he's_ the bandit, not her.

Genrou just ignored her question and continued. "Just what was all that about?"

"What was what about?" She asked irritated, wanting to get the questions over with.

"All the things you had said before; about how you said that it wasn't your fault, that you had no choice and you had no where else to go. What the hell was all that about?"

Kayla hesitated, she couldn't tell him the truth. "It's nothing, I was just rambling nonsense..."

However, before she could finish though, Genrou was suddenly out of his bed and was standing before her, once again giving her a fixated glare. The look that suggested that he knew she was hiding something. It was surprising of how he didn't seem to be suffering from a hangover anymore. "I don't believe you, just what are you hiding Kayla?"

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," Kayla lied, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Ever since you stayed here, we don't know who you are, your past, where you came from, we don't know anything except your name," Genrou stated, determined to get some answers out of the boy. He didn't know why he was so anxious to know, but it really disturbed him when he didn't know much about Kayla. He may be loud-mouthed and obnoxious at times but that didn't mean he was stupid or clueless about everything. He knew Kayla was keeping secrets. It was pretty obvious especially from what the boy said earlier when he was all damn hysterical and panicking.

The question would be what the boy was panicking about?

"I don't know why you're so interested in my background all of a sudden. You never cared before, so why now?" Kayla stubbornly countered.

Without warning, Genrou grabbed her by her shoulders. His grip wasn't hard enough to hurt her but firm enough to indicate that he was dead serious. His sudden contact had startled Kayla, forcing her to look up and their eyes locked together. Amber clashing with amber.

"As the leader of the Leikaku bandits, its my duty to know everything that goes on around here and be on the lookout for potential threats," he explained.

Kayla's eyes narrowed and broke free from Genrou's grip on her shoulders. Of all the criticism and harsh things he had said to her in the past, they were nothing compared to what he had just said. What was worst was that she was actually hurt by his accusation and she mentally kicked herself for letting this arrogant baka get to her this way. "So now you're accusing me?! After all this time, you're admitting that you had never once trusted me?!" She demanded trying to contain her fury, but failing.

"Kuso! Kayla I never meant...."

"Cut the crap Genrou, that is exactly what you meant or else you wouldn't be so intended in knowing about my background. Kouji doesn't know and he trusts me. But you...." Kayla threw her hands up in frustration and anger. "Why am I saying all this?! I don't have to explain anything to you! I have my own rights for privacy and you have no right to push me! You're nothing but an egotistic, obnoxious, lowly bandit!!"

Genrou eyes flashed dangerously in her belittling comment of his identity. He glared into her startled eyes (even more intimidating since he was taller than her). "So I'm a lowly bandit. What are _you_ then boy? A runt without an identity? An unspoken past because he's too ashamed of admitting maybe? For all I know, you're probably a boy nobody wants, not even your own parents. They probably abandoned you all alone in the streets because they found just how spoiled and damn annoying you are"

_'SLAP!!'_

The sound of flesh connecting flesh echoed in the room. Genrou head was turned to the side with a red mark stinging on the left side of his face. However Genrou couldn't feel the sting, he was too shocked as he turned back to Kayla. He could see the boy practically trembling with rage as his fists clenched tightly and his head facing down. "I..." Genrou was - for once in his life - speechless.

"Don't...." Kayla hissed as her voice filled with venom and bitterness. "Don't you ever speak about my parents that way… How dare you say those things about them?! You have no right!" She raised her head to face Genrou and realized that she was crying as she felt her the tears slide down her face. She forcefully brushed them aside with the back of her hand refusing to let him see any more of her tears. "You don't even know me," she whispered before turning around and stormed out of his room leaving the stunned Genrou rooted to the ground.

Genrou placed a hand on his now bruising cheek where Kayla had slapped him. Realization hit him like a punch in the gut as his mind became haunted with Kayla's hurt expression seconds before he had left him. _His tears...._ he thought guiltily.

* * *

Kayla rushed out of Genrou's room wanting to get as far away from him as possible. The tears were running down her face as she ran blindly back towards her room. _Stupid, stupid, STUPID..._ she scolded herself for being weak and crying in front of Genrou. _No doubt he's laughing at me right now_ she thought bitterly.

She couldn't see where she was going, nor did she care. She was caught surprised when she slammed right into Kouji and fell back on the ground from the impact. _Okay this is getting too repetitive_ she thought as she quickly tried to wipe the tears from her face, but Kouji already saw them.

"Kayla? What happened to you?!?!" He asked alarmingly as he helped Kayla back to her feet.

Kayla looked down at the floor refusing to face Kouji. "I don't want to talk about it," she replied trying to get her emotions under control.

"Kayla, just tell me what's going on, are you crying?!"

"Will you just leave me alone?!" Kayla snapped angrily. She winced and instantly felt guilty when she saw the hurt expression on Kouji's face. "I... I'm sorry Kouji, I didn't mean to snap at you. You've been so nice to me ever since I had stayed here. In fact, everyone had been so nice to me that I'm very grateful for everything... I.... I just had a bad morning that's all," she said giving a weak smile.

Kouji nodded, even though he was not at all convinced. "You know we're all here for you if you need it. Everyone practically treats you as if you're part of this big family you know."

_All except Genrou _she added bitterly, but kept her thoughts to herself. "I'm fine Kouji, thanks for looking out for me all this time. If you don't mind I want to get back to my room now."

Kouji hesitated, but nodded. Grateful for her release, Kayla rushed off without looking back.

Kouji watched Kayla disappeared from the hallway. He knew Kayla was not '_fine_' despite what he said. Never had he seen the tough boy cried or ever looked so depressed. Something must be drastically wrong to set him off like that. He didn't want to pry for fear of pushing Kayla too far. However he had a high suspicion as to who may have caused Kayla's tears and he was determined to get the answers from him. With his mind set, he stormed towards Genrou's room. Practically the whole hallway could hear his determined footsteps.

* * *

Genrou's head hurt and not just because of the hangover, but mostly because of the turmoil of raging emotions within him all thanks to his guilty conscience. Ever since Kayla had left his room, his mind wouldn't let go of the image of Kayla's tearful expression and his eyes filled with wounded pain. Normally, Genrou would criticize any man who cried because it was just not '_manly_'. However when he saw Kayla cried, he felt something very much like a remorseful and throbbing twist within his heart. He was mad at Kayla for causing this unfamiliar feeling in him, but he was angrier with himself for hurting Kayla in the first place.

His frustration grew with every second as he paced around his room trying to decide what to do. He supposed he could just leave things to cool down for a while, but he would still have to apologize.

Then Genrou paused at the last thought _Me? Apologize?! That's a first._ It was true though. Never in his life had he apologize verbally for anything, not even to his best friend, Kouji. It just wasn't his character to do so. It was not like he refused to admit he was wrong or anything. It was just that to say: "I'm sorry" out loud verbally to anyone was just too plain awkward. Whenever he needed to '_apologize_' to Kouji or some other men, all he had to do was offer them some sake and they would drink until they had forgotten what it was he was suppose to apologize about in the first place. However, he doubted the same tactic would work for Kayla. For one thing, Kayla does not drink sake (he found that out when Kayla flat-out refused to drink any when he offered him some sake a while ago). As he kept pacing, he found himself having a private argument with his own self.

_So what are you going to do Genrou? You can't leave things just like that _he found his heart saying.

_So what? He's just some damn annoying boy _his mind countered

_You hurt him Genrou, even 'you' know that_

_It was his fault. He's the one with the secrets_

_So what? It's obvious he didn't want to share. And it's none of your damn business_

_How am I suppose to fcking know I could trust him if he keeps all his secrets to himself_

_You know in your heart you can trust him, he even risked his damn life to save your ass with the Eiken incident remember?_

_It's going to be fcking hard to apologize to him_

_Kuso! I know that! I am '**you**' too you know_

"Aahhh!.... I can't take this anymore!" he cried out in frustration and kicked the table but succeeded only in hurting his foot. He swore loudly. _Stupid boy with his stupid pitiful tears! Stupid, fcking table!!_

Then his door slammed open loudly and Kouji stormed in without bothering with his daily routine knocking ritual. Genrou was about to yell at him for charging in here unexpectedly when Kouji spoke first. "Alright Genrou, spill it! What did you do to Kayla?" his usual nonchalant voice was replaced by a more firmed and deadly serious tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Genrou denied and turned away from his friend, not wanting to face him.

Kouji glared at his friend. He had expected the stubborn man to be like this, but he could be just as determined to get his answers from him. "Stop lying Genrou, I've seen Kayla and he's an emotional wreak right now. There's only one person I could think of who could have caused this much pain on him and that's you. So stop lying and tell me what you did to him. It must have been seriously bad considering I have never seen Kayla like this."

"Kuso! Alright, Fine!!" Genrou shouted in exasperation knowing Kouji was not going to back down until he told him what he wanted to hear. "It started this morning when......"

For the next few minutes, Genrou told Kouji the whole story in what happened that morning when Kayla visited him. When he was done, Kouji was furious to say the least.

"Are you a baka or something?! How could you say that to Kayla?!"

"It wasn't my fault. He's the one who started with the fcking name calling first, I got angry and it just slipped out." Genrou defended weakly.

"_After_ you practically told him that you don't trust him." Kouji accused.

"So what do you want me to fcking do? What's done is done, I can't take back what I'd said." Genrou yelled in frustration. However he already knew the answer to his question, he just didn't want to admit it.

"What do you mean what you're going to do? You should go apologize you baka! It's your fault that he's upset," answered Kouji shaking his head.

"A-po-lo-gize....?" Genrou repeated the word as if was in some foreign language.

Kouji sighed in exasperation "You're impossible Genrou. Look, I'm going to check on Kayla and bring him back here and you are going to say sorry."

"What?! So soon?!" exclaimed Genrou taken by surprised. He wasn't sure he wanted to face Kayla so soon right now.

Kouji smirked at his reaction "Hell yes, you are going to apologize to Kayla now whether you like it or not. What are you waiting for? The next century?" After saying that, Kouji left the room to get Kayla.

Genrou just stood there unable to comprehend how things could be moving so fast all of a sudden. He snapped out his stupor and began to pace again. _Kuso! How the hell am I going to do this?!_ He tried to rehearse different ways he could think of to apologize (which wasn't many) and not surprisingly, he was failing. He was just clueless as to what to do in this kind of situation.

Even though he was genuinely feeling some guilt in how he had treated Kayla, he couldn't help at the moment; the growing annoyance he was developing for his best friend. Kouji should give him some time to practice or at least give him some guidelines as to what to say since he sounded like some infuriating expert_. Stupid Kouji, giving me a lecture on what or what not to do, I should just take his words and just shove it up his a _

His door opened again interrupting his thoughts and Genrou looked up expectedly. However, instead of Kayla, he saw a grim-looking Kouji. "He's gone. He only left a note," he replied sadly as he held out a piece of paper. Genrou quickly grabbed the paper and read the neatly written note.

**_Dear Kouji and all of my friends,_**

**_I found that my presence is no longer welcome here, so I decided that it is best for me to leave. Please don't be worry, I will be fine on my own. Maybe I'll come visit someday. _**

**_Goodbye,_**

**_Kayla _**

The note was short and very straightforward, but it was enough to send Genrou to the edge.

"Kuso! !# !#$!!! What does he think he's doing?!" Genrou cried furiously crumbling the note in his hand.

"Running away from you obviously. Did it ever occur to you that Kayla's keeping secrets to protect himself? That maybe he was running away from something or someone and only wanted a place to hide?" Kouji grimly speculated.

Genrou paused, he actually never thought of that possibility. "Damn," he whispered, and immediately grabbed his Tessan and charged out the door.

Kouji shook his head when his best friend charged out the door, no doubt to go after Kayla. _So much for having a peaceful morning_ he thought wryly. He then left too to start a search party for Kayla hoping the boy hadn't gone too far.

Genrou stalked out of his room ignoring the odd looks he was receiving from the other bandits he passed by. All the while he was cursing. Cursing at the dark-haired boy and cursing at himself. He was furious with Kayla for being so reckless. There were many hidden traps surrounding the area of the stronghold; all built to protect their territory. It was extremely dangerous to walk out there unaware of their existence. Of all the stupid things Kayla could have done, he just _had_ to literally go walking into a death trap!

He was also cursing at himself for being too hard on Kayla. He shouldn't have said those things to the boy. It was obvious that Kayla trusted them, why couldn't he, himself do the same? Just because Kayla was keeping a few secrets didn't mean he couldn't be trusted. Everyone including himself held secrets. _Could it be true about what Kouji said? Is Kayla running and hiding from something? If that's true, where the hell is he planning to go? He already proclaimed before that he had nowhere else to go… and I drove him away._ Genrou thought guiltily. He shook his head. No use in worrying about whose damn fault it was now. What was important now was to find Kayla before he gets hurt or something. Apologies could come later. Now he just wanted to bring Kayla back home.

* * *

Kayla sighed for what must have been umpteenth time already even though it was only around noon. She had been walking through the dense forest for about an hour and all she could see were trees, trees and more trees (with a few bushes here and there). Her only hope was that she would find some village or some civilization soon by the end of the day or else she might have to sleep in the forest tonight. She wasn't sure she liked the thought. She wasn't stupid, she knew there could be all kinds of wild beasts in the forest, (wolves being the worst) and she would most likely encounter some if she weren't careful. The thought of once again sleeping outdoors alone in the cold night didn't seem very appealing indeed.

_It would be nice to have my warm bed right..... _she immediately stopped her train of thought from going any further. To think of her bed would be to think back to the Leikaku stronghold, which would eventually lead her to think about Kouji, Genrou and the rest of the guys. She did not want to think about it. She left the place and that was final.

_So why am I thinking about them now? Why do I have the sudden urge to just drop everything and just go back?_ She asked herself. _Because if I don't go back, I'll be leaving the one place that was close enough to be a home since the past five years in my life_ she answered regrettably to her own question.

The Gods must be playing one cosmic joke on her for letting her find a place she could possibly call home, but then only found that she had to leave now. She sighed again. She supposed she couldn't blame anyone. Not even Genrou, although he was the main reason she left in the first place. Deep down, she knew it would only be a temporary home and that things were too good to be true. Eventually, she would have to leave whether by force or by choice. It was just that she hadn't expected that she would have to leave so soon.

She shook her head, no use in regretting now. What's done was done. She made up her mind and that was to leave and not to turn back. She didn't want to go back to a place where she can't be trusted. Why not leave so that everyone could be happy?

She stopped when she came upon a path that leaded to two other paths. She couldn't decide which one to take. Both looked about the same. She was only hoping that she could get to Konan city; her original destination before she had met Genrou. However, she realized that she really didn't know how to get there. All she knew was that Mount Leikaku was close to the large city and that she should head south in order to get there. _Should have brought a map_ she thought tiredly as she looked from one path to the other indecisively.

After debating with herself for a few minutes, she decided to take the route towards her right hoping that it would lead her closer to Konan. After awhile, she noticed her chosen route was becoming more and more narrow as she went along. The trees seemed to close off her path ahead of her until eventually her path became closed off in a dead end. _Of all the damn luck! I have to choose a dead end!_ She thought frustratingly feeling somewhat discouraged. _I should have chosen the other path. Now I have to walk back and take the other route instead. I **really** should have brought a map. _She sighed tiredly as she turned around deciding she might as well head back the direction she came from.

"Aahhhhh!!!!!..." A high-pitched scream erupted the peaceful silence, startling Kayla.

"What the?" she exclaimed as she searched around for the source of the scream. She realized that it came from beyond the dead end down her chosen route, beyond the trees that blocked her way. She cautiously made her way around the trees and bushes that were blocking her way and kept her senses alert for anymore sound.

"Onegai someone help me!!!" the same voice cried again. This time it sounded closer clearly indicating that the cry had came from a girl.

"Shut up! You're going to die now!" another voice threatened, this time a man. Then a loud '_Slap_' was heard.

Certain that someone was in danger, Kayla quickly broke into a sprint and ran towards the general direction of the sound.

When she reached a clearing, she hid behind a tree and peeked out. In the clearing, she saw a man dressed entirely in black, with a malicious smile on his face, holding a sword threatening over a girl. The girl was lying on the ground with a look of pure fear etched across her face. Both were oblivious to her presence behind the tree.

To Kayla's horror, the man was about to plunge the sword into the girl's stomach. Quickly reacting, Kayla reached for the nearest object- which happened to be a small rock- and hurled it with all her might towards the man, hoping her aim wouldn't be too off. Luckily it struck its target. The man howled in pain as he clutched the side of his head where the rock had hit him and stumbled away from the girl. "Who threw that?! Show yourself!" the man roared furiously.

Kayla came out of her hiding place and quickly stood defensively in front of the girl and glared at the man. The man looked at her with a bloodthirsty rage. "Who are you boy?! Are you one of those pesky Suzaku Seishi here to protect their pathetic little Miko?" he demanded as he looked from Kayla to the girl behind her and then back again.

Kayla blinked _Suzaku what?...Miko? He must be referring to the girl being a miko. But what's a Suzaku Seishi? Does he think I'm one?_ She thought as she studied the man in front of her. He seemed a little nervous about the possibility of her being a Seishi for some reason. _Maybe I should play along, he might get scared and go away_ she decided as she spoke in the most confident voice she could mustered. "That's correct I'm a Suzaku Seishi, so you better run back to where you crawled out from if you know what's good for you. I'm not going to let you hurt this girl."

The girl behind Kayla gasped loudly when she heard what the boy said. _He's a Suzaku Seishi!_ she thought in wonderment. Her green eyes widen in amazement.

The man paled slightly at Kayla's word before fury settled in once again. "Well then in that case I'll have to kill you and then get rid of your Miko after," he smirked evilly as he hold up his sword.

_Uh oh, maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all_ Kayla decided as she looked at the man's sword nervously. She didn't have anything to defend herself with and the girl behind her didn't seem like she would be able to help her either. Without warning, the man charged at Kayla ready to plunge the sword into her. Kayla avoided the deadly weapon. She had no choice but to dodge each of the man's blows as she unconsciously stepped back while the man kept coming forward swinging his sword madly.

Kayla soon found herself backed against a tree and trapped with nowhere else to go. The man grinned triumphantly and swung his sword that would surely behead her. She ducked at the last second and the sword got caught in the tree's bark behind her instead. The man swore and struggled to get his sword free. Seeing an opportunity, Kayla immediately punched the man in the gut, causing him to groan in pain. With a high kick, she kicked the man in the head knocking him to the ground unconscious.

Kayla sighed with relief, then looked back at the girl and went over to check on her. The girl looked back at her with awe and disbelief. With the threat gone, Kayla finally had a good look at the strange girl's appearance. The girl had long reddish-brown hair tied in two buns on top of her head with some ribbons. She had large, innocent green eyes, which at the moment was on the verge of crying. Her features gave her a child-like appearance although she couldn't be anymore than a year younger than herself. She was wearing the oddest outfit Kayla had ever seen. It consisted of a brown uniform with a white shirt underneath completed a bluish-green bow on her neck. She was also wearing the shortest skirt Kayla had ever seen that it seemed somewhat indecent compared to what females would normally wear. However then again, she, herself was a girl and she was not wearing '_normal female clothing_' either.

"Are you alright?" Kayla asked worriedly when she saw the girl's tears. The girl nodded her head and smiled, wiping away her tears. "I'm fine, thank you for saving me from that guy," She replied cheerfully, her eyes shining with hope as she looked at Kayla.

_Why is she looking at me like that? She looks like she just made a miraculous discovery or something _Kayla thought uncomfortably. "What's your name?" She asked the girl hoping to stop her from staring at her.

To her surprised, the girl quickly took one of her hands; her expression shining with utter joy and excitement. "I'm Miaka, the Suzako no Miko, I'm so glad I finally found you, or more like you found me. Are you really one of my Suzaku Seishi?! Silly me, of course you are, you said so yourself. Wait till I tell the others, Hotohori, Nuriko and Chichiri, they're really nice and they will be happy to meet you. Tamahome's going to be so glad too, he's trapped in Seiryuu right now, but now that we found you, we only have two more Seishi to find and we can go rescue Tamahome!" She paused when she saw Kayla's dumbfound expression. "Oh sorry, I tend to babble a lot when I get excited. I said all those things and I still don't know you're name," she apologized, blushing a little.

"It's.... alright" Kayla said slowly recovering from her bewilderment. She was surprised that the girl could say so much when all she asked for was for her name. She was talking so fast, that Kayla only processed a partial amount of what she said. _So Miaka's her name and she's a what? Suzaku no Miko? What's that? It does sound somewhat familiar though. What else? Hoto... something, Nuriko and some other names I didn't quite catch. She said that they're all Suzaku Seishi. Why would she think that I'm a Suzaku Seishi as well? I'm just a girl. I don't even know what a Seishi is.... _She was temporarily confused when realization hit her. _Oh right.... I lied to that man before saying that I am one. Miaka must have thought that I was telling the truth. I better straighten things out before there's any more confusion._ Kayla snapped out of her thoughts when she saw the girl named Miaka, was still standing there waiting for her to give her the name.

Kayla smiled. "It's....Kayla" she answered, finding no need to hide her real name from Miaka. The girl didn't seem like that she would mind the oddity of her supposedly 'boyish' name.

Miaka's smile grew wider. "I'm so glad to meet you Kayla, so is you're real Seishi name Tasuki, Mitsukake or is it Chiriko? It's Tasuki isn't it?" she asked earnestly.

"Well... you see...." Kayla started nervously "I'm not really..... " yet before she could finish, Miaka's eyes grew wide with horror and pointed behind Kayla. "Kayla! Look out!" Kayla turned to see the man from before still awake and now charging at her with pure rage. She caught a glint in his hand and realized that he was holding a sharp dagger!

Everything happened so fast as Kayla pushed Miaka out of the way and felt a searing pain on her arm when she used it to block the blow from the dagger. She was knocked to the ground with the man on top of her as she heard Miaka screamed. The man gave her a bloodthirsty smile that sent chills down her spine as he pinned Kayla to the ground. "Goodbye Suzaku Seishi," he whispered evilly as he brought the dagger up ready to plunge it into Kayla's heart. Kayla shut her eyes tightly and waited for the pain to come. It never came.

Abruptly, she felt the weight of the man off her. Kayla opened her eyes and saw the angry man threw Miaka towards a tree where she gave a small cry in pain. She realized instantly that it was Miaka who saved her by knocking the man off with her full weight. Seeing the man distracted, Kayla quickly jumped to her feet and knocked the dagger out of his hand. With her good arm, she elbowed the man in the face no doubt knocking out a few of his teeth. The man cursed as he saw that he was in a no-win situation and quickly made his escape like a coward.

Kayla was about to go after him when she remembered Miaka and tiredly stumbled to where the girl lay. She found Miaka was knocked unconscious when she was thrown against the tree. A trickle of blood can be seen trailing down her face from her forehead. The pain on her own arm grew and she looked at her left arm and found it bleeding profusely soaking her sleeve at an alarming rate. It wasn't a fatal wound but it was still a deep cut. Kayla cursed softly. What was she going to do? She was a long way from any other people to find help and she had no medical supplies with her.

She reached down and shook Miaka on the shoulders. "Miaka, Miaka? Are you alright? Com'on get up." She said trying to wake her up. The girl didn't wake. _Now what?!_

"Get away from Miaka!!" a voice that belonged to another man yelled furiously. The next thing Kayla knew, she was pushed aside and a sword held dangerously close against her throat.

**

* * *

**

**Author's Notes: **

Gemini: This is great! I finally finished this chapter!!! It took me awhile really, but I think it turned out pretty well and Miaka makes an appearance. Yeah!

Cancer: (Hits Gemini on the back of the head) I can't believe you left a cliff-hanger!! I want to know what happen!! How can you do this to me and all of our faithful readers out there!!!!

Gemini: (Glared at Cancer) I found it to be an appropriate place to stop here, it creates good suspense so...(hits Cancer back with a mallet) STOP HITTING ME!! (Cancer falls to the floor unconscious) Anyway..... can all you readers guess who is holding the sword against Kayla in the end? Com'on, I know you all know the answer so send in your answers in a review!!! .

Cancer: (Gets back up without a scratch and scaring Gemini to death) Plus, if you get the answer correctly, I can persuade Gemini to post the next chapter sooner so you'll get to see what happen next more quickly!!! (gives a peace sign) So hurry and send in your review!!!

Gemini: #$& CANCER!!!! How in the world are you okay after I hit you with a mallet?!?!

Cancer: (shrugs) I've got high endurance for this kind of unusual punishment. You'll have to try harder if you want to hurt me. BWHAHAHAHA!!!!

Gemini: (sweatdrops) Damn!

Cancer: (Glares at Gemini) Would you STOP imitating my IDOL here GEMINI!!!!

Gemini: Che, what are you gonna do about it Cancer, I love to imitate him and what can you do you #$##&$###&$!$#$#&##&$#!!!!

Cancer: GRRRR!!! THAT'S IT GEMINI!!! YOU ASKED FOR IT!!! (pulls out a gun machine and points at Gemini) GRRR!!!

Gemini: (Sweating heavily and swallows hard) Hehe, Cancer, I was just joking with ya, com'on man, don't be so serious, we're buddies remember?!?! If you kill me, who's gonna continue with the story?!?!

Cancer: (Think for a moment)... ... ... ... Oh don't worry Gemini, I can take over the story myself, KAKAKAKAKA!!! PREPARE TO DIE GEMINI!!! (Shoots Gemini with her gun machine repeatedly)

Gemini: ARRGGH!!! Y.... YOU TRAITOR!!! (Drops dead on the floor)

Cancer: HAHAHAHAHA!!! I'm taking over the world.... I mean I'm taking over the story, BWAHAHAHA!!!!

Gemini: (Stands up and freaks Cancer out) IN YOUR DREAM CANCER!!!

Cancer: (Swallows hard) YOU... YOU.... HOW COME..... WHY?!?!?!

Gemini: KEKE, because I have THIS on, you BAKA (pulls open her shirt to reveal her bullet vest)

Cancer: YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A BULLET VEST ON!?!? THAT'S ABNORMAL!!! (Sweatdrops and fainted)

Gemini: Well, I do need some sort of protection from your violence my good chum, hehe (tap Cancer on the head condescendingly)

You heard what the authors said, hurry up and send in your answer to authors' question in the review. If your answer is correct, they promise that they'll post up the next chapter (or maybe even next few chapters) quickly. So Good Luck!!! .


	10. Misunderstandings

Gemini: Wow! We have so many supporters here (stares at the reviews page with starry eyes)

Cancer: I know, I think I must be dreaming! We got 9 more reviews! (Stares at the screen also)

Gemini: ...

Cancer: ...

(A voice that sounds suspiciously like the cliché Hollywood narrator's voice overhead came out of nowhere)

_Well as you see, our two authors are now a little 'occupied' with the wonderful reviews that all you great readers sent. Luckily they left a few memos to tell all you readers before they were ummm... stuck in the Lala Land let's just say. Let see..._

_**1. **Thank you for all you wonderful readers' supports in this fic, it was extremely motivating and helpful._

_**2. **Please continue to review, we really, really love them and we will never ever get tired of them._

_**3. **For those of you readers who sent in your answers from the last chapters, Congratulations!_

_You all answered correctly and as promised we prepared the next chapter for all of you who are anxious to know what happens next!_

_**4. **Also, must remember to buy the next stash of double chocolate ice cream, the kitchen is all out._

_Oops... scratch out that last memo, that one was part of their **'1001 things to do' **list. Wow! Look at all the things these two girls have on their list... let see..._

· _Continue to write chapter 11... _

· _Think of ways to get Kayla and Tasuki together... _

· _Find ways to reach to a minimum of 40 reviews before fic is done... _

· _Think of ways to survive through the summer without getting into each other's nerve and killing each other in a horrible, horrible death..._

_LOL etc...etc... Well that's all for now and one more thing (clears the throat) _

_**Disclaimers:** Twin Girls does not own Fushigi Yuugi and it was created byYuu Watase and other related companies. They are extremely poor. As a matter fact I, myself am not even getting paid for doing all this for these two girls. Now that I'm thinking about it, just WHY am I here doing this anyway!_

(The mysterious voice is gone and the sound of a door slamming was heard afterwards)

Cancer and Gemini: ...

* * *

**_Previously_**

She reached down and shook Miaka on the shoulders. "Miaka, Miaka? Are you alright? Com'on, get up!" She said, trying to wake her up. She didn't respond. _Now what!_

"Get away from Miaka!" a voice belonging to another man yelled furiously. The next thing Kayla knew, she was pushed aside with sword was held dangerously close against her throat.

**

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**

**Chapter 10: Misunderstandings**

* * *

Kayla was startled and speechless as she found herself once again at the wrong end of a weapon. She looked up at the owner of the sword and was surprised to see that it was a very handsome man- beautiful even- who looked to be around 18 or so. He could have even been mistaken as a woman with his long silvery-brown hair and delicately framed face. However the lean but firmed structure of his body proved otherwise. 

Despite his beauty, his face was now marred with a look of anger as his brown eyes shone with fury and protectiveness as he gazed intently at Kayla. Kayla wanted to hide from his intensive gaze but held her ground. What did she do wrong?

"Miaka!" another voice cried alarmingly that sounded more feminine this time. Kayla turned and saw a violet-haired woman ran towards Miaka. The woman was very beautiful with her hair tied in a long braid, her violet bands framing her lovely face and her violet eyes showered with worry as she examined Miaka, who was still out cold.

"How is Miaka, Nuriko?" the long-haired man asked worriedly to the violet-haired woman while he continued to hold the sword steadily against Kayla. "She's out cold and has a mild wound on her head but nothing too serious Hotohori-sama," the woman now known as Nuriko answered with a sigh of relief knowing that that the miko was going to be alright. Using a handkerchief, she wiped the little blood off of Miaka's forehead.

_Hotohori? Nuriko? I know those names! They're the Suzaku Seishi that Miaka was talking about before, but why are they treating me like some kind of criminal!_ Kayla thought in surprise as she watched them both warily.

The man nodded as relief was shown on his face, but hardened again when he turned back to Kayla. "How dare you attack the Suzaku no Miko boy! You'll pay dire consequences for hurting her," he threatened.

Realization dawned upon Kayla as she used her good hand to applied more pressure on her wound to slow the bleeding. With her blood-soaked clothes and Miaka's injury, no wonder they thought that _she_ had been the one who hurt Miaka. Overcoming her fear and shock, Kayla became angry at the accusation inflicted upon her. Who wouldn't be? "I wasn't the one who hurt her you baka? I..." However, she didn't even have a chance to finish.

"Lekka Shinen!" a very familiar voice yelled. Kayla's eyes widen as she recognized the threat behind those words and quickly ducked to the ground instinctively. In a split second, a burst of massive flames was shot towards the shocked man named Hotohori, who managed to dodge the infernal flames in time as well. Smoke filled the area choking Kayla and making her eyes watered. When the smoke cleared, Kayla was surprised yet somewhat relieved to see the familiar fiery-haired man standing defensively in front of her facing Hotohori in a battle stance.

"Genrou?" she exclaimed.

* * *

Genrou had been looking for Kayla for hours. With each passing hour, he was growing more frustrated, agitated and yet worried at the same time. _Where the hell is he! When I find him, he is in deep trouble. If he gets hurt, I'll... I'll never forgive myself, _he thought guiltily. Then he heard a high-pitched scream off in a near distant. Immediately, with a strong sense of forbodding, he headed towards the sound knowing that somehow Kayla was involved. 

His instincts were proven right when he reached to a clearing where he found a long-haired man holding a sword against Kayla's throat. His eyes immediately caught the bleeding wound on Kayla's arm. Genrou felt his anger rose. _That bastard is hurting Kayla! _he thought furiously as he quickly took out his Tessan.

"Lekka Shinen!" he yelled and sent the blazing flames towards the man with the sword while carefully avoiding Kayla at the same time. The man was quick and had barely dodged the flames. Genrou came out and took his place in front of Kayla to block the man with the sword from getting to him. Needless to say, Kayla was surprised to see him.

"Genrou?" he exclaimed.

Genrou gave him a smirk before facing the unknown man again. "In the flesh."

"What are you doing here?" Kayla demanded, the shock quickly gone from his voice.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm saving your ass _again_," stated Genrou, as he continued watching the man in case he tried anything funny.

"I didn't need your help," Kayla retorted stubbornly.

Genrou snorted. "Could've fooled me seeing _he's_ the one with the sword ready to slash _your_ throat out."

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you?" interrupted the long-hared man as he held his sword ready in defence.

Genrou gave him an angry glare. "My name's Genrou, and I'm with him," he spoke, indicating to Kayla behind him. "And whoever messes with him will answer to me." His tone was calm with a deadly undertone gracing beneath it. It was a tone that could freeze any lesser man in their place and cause any warrior to become wary of the bandit leader before them. Then without warning, Genrou charged towards the man with his Tessan in hand, ready to give the man, whom he believed had injured Kayla, one hell of a beating of his life.

Kayla's eyes widen in terror as she watched Genrou engaged in a furious battle with Hotohori. His Tessan versus his sword. His speed and agility versus his strength and skills. She knew Genrou was a good fighter despite his crude attitude, but Hotohori wasn't bad either. She may not know much about sword fighting but it was easy to tell that Hotohori was a very skilled swordsman. So far both were equally matched, neither gaining nor losing.

_I have to stop this or someone will get hurt or even die!_ She started to make her way towards the two battling men, but found that something was holding her back. She looked back and found the woman named Nuriko holding her back, her shoulder held in a tight but painless grip. "What are you doing? Let me go, I have to stop this!" she cried as she struggled from the woman's grip, however Nuriko was surprisingly strong.

"Nuriko shook her head. "No way pretty boy, can't let you go and help hurt Hotohori-sama," she replied with a firm calmness.

Kayla let out a groan in frustration. "For the last time, I didn't hurt Miaka! I saved her from another man who was trying to kill her in the first place!" she yelled as she watched the two men fought.

Nuriko looked startled as she heard her words and looked as if she was having a mental debate about whether or not she should believe her.

"Please," Kayla pleaded speaking more softly "Believe me, you can even ask Miaka when she wakes up, she'll tell you the exact same thing. I am not the enemy."

Something flashed in Nuriko's eyes as she regarded the earnest plea found within the expressive golden eyes of the boy. After a moment more of careful contemplation, she hesitantly let go of Kayla's shoulder. "You better not make me regret this," Nuriko said warningly, although not as harshly as before. Kayla smiled a little before she heard a cry of pain from Genrou and turned to see that the fiery-haired man was thrown back against a tree.

"Genrou!" she cried as she ran towards him to check if he was still conscious. Luckily he was, if not a bit more pissed off than before.

"Baka! What are you doing here! Get out of the way!" Genrou ordered as he pulled himself back up.

"I'm here to stop you two from this pointless fight!" Kayla shouted back.

"Well tell that bastard over there, not me!" Genrou shouted back, wincing a little at his sore back. Kayla was about to retort back when she saw Hotohori was charging at a deadly speed towards them with his sword ready to pierce them both.

"Watch out!" she cried as she pushed Genrou out of the way. Unfortunately, she was rooted in place by a low hanging branch from the tree behind her that had managed to snag a piece of loose fabric of her shirt. Those few precious seconds of getting her shirt loose from those devious clutches had been enough to detain her from escaping. With the sword aimed towards her head at a breakneck speed, she shut her eyes tightly as she knew she wouldn't be able to defend herself in time. _I'll be seeing you soon otosan, okasan_

"Hotohori-sama!"

"Kayla!"

"Hotohori! Onegai, Stop!"

_Thunk!

* * *

_

It was silent, as the air clung to the tension making it very difficult for one to breathe.

"K...Kayla?" stuttered Genrou, choking on his voice unable to contain his fear. _Is... is he alright?_ He thought, fearing for the worst.

Very slowly, Kayla opened her eyes after for what seemed like an eternity of dead silence and nearly cried out in shock and surprise when she saw the sharp sword was barely an inch beside her head. Somehow, the sword had missed her barely and was now embedded into the tree behind her. Her reflection upon the smooth, gleaming surface of the blade at such a close range seemed to mock her at how close it was to slaying her. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding. Her legs gave out and she collapsed on the ground, still shaken that she had almost died a horrible, horrible death.

She looked up to see Hotohori looking back at her. The fury now gone from his eyes, replaced with a bit of confusion. _His aim would have been perfect and yet he moved at the last second, why?_ Kayla realized with dread. It was not that she wasn't grateful, but she was still very confused. Then, her question was answered as a familiar voice of a girl cried out. "Hotohori don't hurt Kayla!" Kayla turned to see Miaka, now fully waken and struggling to her feet with Nuriko supporting her. It was her who had woken just in time to stop Hotohori from giving Kayla an early and unpleasant death. _Talk about cutting it close_ Kayla thought wryly as she slowly got back to her feet.

"Kayla?" She looked up to see that Genrou was now beside her. "Are you alright?"

"I'll live." She answered shortly and deliberately looked away, avoiding his gaze.

"Hotohori, you can't hurt Kayla," Miaka said as she made her way towards them with Nuriko's help.

Hotohori looked at Miaka with confusion. "Why not Miaka? After he attacked and injured you?"

Miaka shook her head firmly. "No, it was all a misunderstanding. Kayla didn't attack me, he saved me from the assassin who tried to kill me when I got separated from both of you," she explained with a smile. "And besides, Kayla would never hurt me, because he's a Suzaku Seishi."

Silence.

"Kayla's a what!" cried Genrou in disbelief as he looked from Kayla to Miaka and back to Kayla again, confusion written all over his face.

Hotohori and Nuriko looked at Miaka questioningly. "Are you sure Miaka?" Nuriko asked, turning to look at Kayla.

Miaka nodded. "He said so himself didn't you, Kayla?"

Kayla suddenly found herself in the center of attention and shifted uncomfortably as everyone waited for her response. She found herself wishing that the ground beneath her would just open up and swallow her whole. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking down feeling very guilty.

"N...nani?" Miaka stuttered as she paled slightly.

"I'm sorry," she repeated louder, "I'm not really a Suzaku Seishi, I don't even know what that is."

"B… but you said..."

"I said it, so that I could trick that assassin and maybe scare him away to save you. I'm sorry if I disappointed you. I could tell how much you wanted to find them." Kayla stared at her hands unable to meet anyone's gaze. She didn't know why she felt so guilty for disappointing the poor girl whom she met for only a brief period of time. However, Kayla could feel that Miaka had a good heart and that she saved Kayla not just once, but twice already: once from the assassin and second from Hotohori.

She felt a hand on her shoulder causing Kayla to look up, surprised to see Miaka smiling happily at her. "Don't be sorry," she said warmly. "You only lied in order to save me. Seishi or not, I'm glad you came, or else I would be dead by now."

Kayla smiled a little. "Thank you Miaka, for not being mad." All of a sudden, she began to feel a little dizzy and stumbled a little. She would have collapsed, but felt two hands instantly behind her, supporting her before she could fall flat on her face.

"Kuso! Kayla, look at you! You're a fucking mess! And you're still bleeding!" Genrou scolded as he continued to hold her up. Kayla was tempted to just kick Genrou in the shin and tell him to leave her alone. However she refrained from doing so, knowing that she would surely collapse to the ground if he let her go.

"Kayla, are you alright?" Miaka asked worriedly as she looked at Kayla's deeply wounded arm.

"I'm alright, just a little light-headed, but I can manage." she answered and tried to stand on her own. Unfortunately, her weakness only worsened despite her efforts. She really hated feeling so vulnerable.

"He lost too much blood, that wound needs to be treated immediately or else it may get worse," Hotohori spoke for the first time after listening for so long.

"I can help," offered Nuriko as she took out a handkerchief and proceeded in bandaging Kayla's arm the best that she could while Genrou continued to hold her up. When she was done, Kayla thanked her. "No problem pretty boy," Nuriko replied. "Unfortunately, I don't have any proper medical supplies and your wounds would need some proper disinfectants."

"We could go back to my place, we should have some medical supplies to treat your wounds," Genrou suggested immediately.

Kayla winced. "No, I am not going back," she said firmly while ignoring the confused looks from Miaka, Nuriko and Hotohori.

"Don't be foolish Kayla, didn't you hear what they said? Your wounds need to be treated." Genrou exclaimed with annoyance.

"I already left, and I'm not going back."

"Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn!"

"Why do you have to be so thick-headed that you can't understand the fact that I don't want to go back to where I'm not wanted!"

The two continued to argue, totally oblivious to the audience who were watching with sweatdrops forming on their heads. "Are they always like this?" Miaka whispered to Nuriko. Nuriko just shrugged and whispered back "I don't know, but I think they act like an old married couple despite their gender." Miaka giggled at the comparison.

"Look!" Genrou argued frustratingly. "At least come back to the hideout so that we could treat your wounds. Besides..." he added slyly. "Your _girlfriend_ over there obviously need some treatment for her head wound as well."

Hotohori seemed to flinch a little unnoticeably at the 'girlfriend' implications while Miaka just blushed slightly. Kayla, on the other hand, was fuming furiously. Not just because of the 'girlfriend' comment (which she knew was impossible for it to happen) but at the fact that Genrou was using Miaka as an excuse to get her to go back with him. What was worst was that the sneaky bastard was right! It wouldn't be fair for Miaka to not get any treatment just because that she, herself was too stubborn to go.

"Fine! I'll go back with you, BUT after my wound is treated, I'm leaving!" Kayla shouted exasperatingly, suddenly feeling very weary of everything. _Why did he come? Can't he see that I don't want to go back and only to leave again after everything is over?_ She thought sadly.

Genrou just smirked, satisfy to know that he had at least won this argument and Kayla was coming back _somewhat _willingly. He could always find another way later to make sure to convince Kayla to stay for sure.

"Uuhh... guys? How is Kayla going to travel? It's obvious that he's still too weak to walk long distance," Miaka asked, looking at everyone for suggestions.

"No problem, I'll just slung him over my shoulder like a bag of rice, it's not like I haven't done it before." answered Genrou slyly, giving Kayla his familiar fanged-grin.

Kayla gave him a death glare. "You do that and we'll see just _how_ thick your head can really be!" she threatened.

"Like to see you try," Genrou countered mockingly.

Nuriko cleared her throat to get their attention. Kayla and Genrou stopped arguing to look at her. "I can carry Kayla on my back if he doesn't mind, it won't be a problem." Nuriko suggested with a smile. Both looked at her as if she grew another head. Genrou then burst out laughing. "I'm sorry lady, but I don't think a woman like you can carry a man all the way to the stronghold, no matter how light Kayla can be." Genrou said, laughing like there was no tomorrow, while Kayla just looked doubtful.

To their amazement, Nuriko just grinned mischievously, Hotohori just smiled secretly and Miaka giggled. "I don't know about you guys," Miaka said, giggling harder. "But in case you haven't noticed, Nuriko is a _man_!"

Dead silence (except for a few crickets chirping in the background).

"YOU'RE A MAN?" Kayla and Genrou both shouted out so loud that practically the whole forest could hear them. Nuriko just nodded, though it was easy to see that he was trying hard to contain his own laughter as he watched their reactions.

Genrou was stammering unintelligibly while Kayla just stared mutely unable to comprehend what she had just learned. "Ar... are you sure?" Kayla asked stupidly while looking at Nuriko from head to toe. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't picture the beautiful woman standing before her was actually a man.

Nuriko's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Don't you think I would know myself whether I'm a man or not?" he asked playfully. Then unexpectedly, Nuriko took Kayla's good hand... "Just in case there is anymore doubt." Nuriko spoke before he placed Kayla's hand firmly against his chest!

Kayla eyes grew wide and instantly snatched her hand back as if she had been burned. No breasts. Underneath all that layer of fine silk lay only the tone, firm and most definitely _flat_ anatomy of the human chest proving Nuriko was undoubtedly a man. She felt her whole body flushed from embarrassment. Genrou looked like he was about to faint while Kayla just stood there gaping.

"Sorry to disappoint you pretty boy, but now... do you still want me to carry you on my back?" Nuriko asked innocently while giving them both a wink.

* * *

The whole group began to walk back to the stronghold with Genrou leading the way. Well... not everyone was walking. More like everyone except Kayla was walking. Despite the earlier embarrassment, Kayla took up on Nuriko's offer and allowed her... ummm... him to carry her on his back. However, Kayla was careful in limiting the intimate contact from her body the feminine-like man since she had to be careful to hide her own feminine features as well. Although the task was difficult provided that she had to somewhat lean on his back while he carried her. Luckily Nuriko didn't seem to notice anything out of the unusual about her. For that, she could only be grateful. 

"So you're really from another world?" Kayla asked Miaka with amazement who was walking beside her and Nuriko. Miaka was walking well despite her own minor injury, however regardless of her own protest, Hotohori insisted in walking close-by ready to support her if needed. During their walk, Miaka was telling Kayla about her story as the Suzaku no Miko and her search for her Suzaku Seishi. Her story captured Kayla's undivided interest. It was quite an amazing tale indeed.

Miaka nodded and she continued telling her of her adventures. Apparently she came from a country called Japan, and she lived in the city named Tokyo in which Kayla could only imagine what it was like there. "So basically you're job as a Suzaku no Miko is to gather all seven of your own Suzaku Seishi, summon the phoenix god, Suzaku and make your three wishes?" Kayla summarized.

Miaka nodded again. "We already found four Seishi, Hotohori, Nuriko, Chichiri, whose not here right now at the moment and... Tamahome, he's not here either," she explained as her gaze fell to the ground.

"Miaka are you alright?" Kayla asked worriedly. Was it just her? Or did Miaka's voice seem to sadden when she mentioned Tamahome's name. _Tamahome... she did mentioned that name before, didn't she?_ Kayla found herself remembering Miaka's rambling before when they first met._ Didn't she mention that this Suzaku Seishi, Tamahome was now trapped in Kutou for some reason? I wonder how and why?_ She wondered curiously.

Miaka shook her head and smiled cheerfully. "I'm alright Kayla, no need to worry about me. Like I said, we already found four Seishi, we just need to find three more, Tasuki, Mitsukake and Chiriko. We had a clue that told us that Tasuki would be here in the Mount Leikaku and that's why we're here. We were looking for him or her until you found us. I made a promise to Tamahome that I would find all the Seishi and rescue him and my best friend Yui from Kutou." She explained with determination set in her eyes.

"I see... is that why you're so determined to find all your Seishi?" Kayla asked as the picture became clearer to her.

"I have to keep my promise to Tamahome. I have a duty to summon Suzaku to save Konan from an upcoming war with Kutou and to keep its people safe with my wishes. You don't happen to know anyone with a red character symbols anywhere on their bodies do you?" she asked hopefully.

"Red symbol?" Kayla asked confusedly.

"It's a sign that represents the god, Suzaku. Each Seishi carries a symbol representing their respective god, that's how we know if the person is a Seishi or not. It also represents the power that the Seishi has. Each Seishi has his or her own special ability and power. As you've already seen, Hotohori has the power of superior skills in sword fighting and I possess superior strength. Tamahome has very skilled fighting abilities and Chichiri can do a lot of neat things with magic," explained Nuriko, who decided to join in the conversation.

"I see," Kayla nodded in understanding. "But I'm sorry, I don't think I know anyone who has a red character on their body." Miaka's face fell in disappointment. "However..." Kayla said thoughtfully, "You could asked Genrou, since he is the leader of the stronghold, maybe he would know something." she suggested as she pointed to Genrou, who continued to walk ahead of them. To her surprised, Genrou had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since she started talking with Miaka. Whether he had been listening to them or not, she couldn't be sure. Although he was walking ahead of them so maybe he didn't really hear what they were talking about. Maybe.

Miaka seemed to brighten again at her suggestion. "You think he would really know?" she asked hopefully.

Kayla shrugged. "It's worth a try. But a word of warning, he's a bit of a loud-mouthed, arrogant baka who claims to hate girls for some reason. So I'll be careful if I were you." Kayla warned Miaka, lowering her voice a little so that Genrou couldn't hear her.

"I heard that Kayla!" Genrou shouted from the front, apparently he heard her last comment.

Kayla just responded back by sticking out her tongue at him childishly.

* * *

"Hey guys, this is our place, so just make yourself comfortable for now," Genrou smirked as he saw the expressions on Miaka, Hotohori and Nuriko's face. Kayla couldn't blame Miaka and the others for their awed expression. Even she had been surprised by the vastness of the stronghold when she first explored it. It was amazing that a place this huge could be kept hidden on top of Mount Leikaku. 

Kayla just rolled her eyes at Genrou's smug expression. She knew his smirks anywhere from her own history with them. This one was simply one of his self-satisfaction smirks._ He never changes, does he? (Sigh)... maybe I should teach him a lesson before I leave... _At the thought of leaving, sadness struck her once again.

_Why did he come for me? It's not as if he really care or anything. Maybe he's just feeling guilty for what he said or maybe Kouji just forced him to come after me. Damn you Genrou! Why do you have to be such a mean and egotistic jerk! Why do you have to bring me back only to have me face the difficulty of leaving this place again! Damn you!_ She silently cursed at the fiery-haired man as she fought the urge to cry. There was absolutely no way she was going to cry in front of all these people.

"Are you alright Kayla?" asked a gentle, alto-toned voice. Kayla was startled as she looked at Nuriko who was still carrying her. Apparently he had sensed her sadness.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, I guess I'm just exhausted that's all," replied Kayla, giving him a small smile touched by his gentle sincerity.

"Are you sure? You look very pale though," Nuriko asked as he turned his head slightly back, allowing Kayla to see the side of his face. His voice and expression was filled with concern and care.

Miaka turned around immediately after she heard Nuriko's comment to peer closely at Kayla's face. She gasped. "Nuriko you're right! He's as pale as a ghost!" Her expressive eyes widen with worry.

"Of course man, from the amount of blood he lost already, I'm surprised that he hasn't actually turned _into_ a ghost already!" Genrou added, as he too, made his way towards Kayla and Nuriko.

Kayla felt her anger rose at the man's insensitive comment. "Would you mind to just shut up and mind your own damn business!" she shouted, as the three newcomers remained silent. _Stupid Baka! He just had to make me look so weak in front of everyone!_ She silently fumed as she looked at Genrou. Did she saw right? Or did she actually saw Genrou winced when she snapped at him? She didn't have the time to confirm her thoughts when he turned around before she could get a better look. She was surprised that Genrou didn't make a comeback at her like he would usually do.

Nuriko simply arched an eyebrow as he watched the two and smiled secretly.

"Hey boss you're back!" Toushi shouted as he saw Genrou and a group of people walking down the main hall.

"Yeah, hey where's Kouji? Have you seen him anywhere?" Genrou asked him as they stopped at the middle of the hallway.

"Kouji and the search party are out in the forest looking for Kay..." Toushi's words trailed off when he saw Kayla riding on the back of a purple-haired woman. He stood there with his mouth wide opened, suddenly oblivious to the people around him.

Genrou looked at him strangely. "O...k... well tell Kouji to see me when he come back ok Toushi?" and with that Genrou walked ahead leaving the still gaping Toushi standing there.

"Uh huh" mumbled Toushi, although he didn't seem to be paying any attention.

Nuriko just rolled his eyes. _Not again _he thought before he turned back to Kayla. "So where's your room pretty boy? I could carry you there to settle down."

Kayla snapped out of her thoughts "Oh...ummm... down the hall, second door on the left," she answered.

Nuriko nodded and continued to walk, while Genrou went to get Miaka and Hotohori some medical supplies.

"Why do you keep calling me '_pretty boy_' Nuriko?" Kayla asked curiously as she was being carried towards her room.

Nuriko turned and look at her with a hint of mischief twinkling in his eyes. "Why wouldn't I? I think it suits you. You are pretty handsome for a boy if I do say so myself."

Kayla wasn't expecting such a compliment. Even though Nuriko was complimenting her as a boy instead of a girl, she found herself blushing a little just the same. She wasn't sure how to respond to such a comment. "Uhhh... Thank you," _I think_ she added quietly.

Nuriko smiled and continued to carry her to her room.

* * *

Kayla looked around her former room. Nothing was out of place- not that she really expected it to be- since she left only this morning. She already thanked Nuriko after he placed her on the bed and left to check on Miaka. However, before Kayla could get comfortable, there was a knock on the door. "Come in" she answered without getting up. 

The door opened and Toushi walked in with a silly grin on his face. "Toushi? Are you alright?" Kayla asked curiously.

"Huh? Oh yeah, don't worry about me, I'm just..." He stopped mid-sentence, his grin only growing even wider. "... Well, anyways, how are you feeling Kayla? I'm here to check on you and see if you need any help," he finished.

"I'll be ok, thanks" Kayla replied. Toushi nodded and for a moment, just stood there seemingly to struggle with what he wanted to say next. "Can I help you with anything Toushi?" Kayla asked noticing his hesitation.

Toushi looked around as if checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping before he made his way to sit beside Kayla on the bed. "Well, I just have some questions to ask you," he answered, lowering his voice.

Kayla became nervous. "Questions? About what?" she asked, slowly hoping it had nothing to do with her secret.

"Who was that pretty lady you were with a few minutes ago?"

"You mean Miaka?" She asked, a little relieved if not surprised at the same time. _Why would he ask about her?_

"No I meant the other one, the one who carried you to your room. Are you two like involved or something?" he asked a little impatiently.

"Nuriko? No we're not involved, we just met today. Why are you asking?" Kayla was confused. _Does he know that I'm a girl? Was that why he thinks that I'm involved with Nuriko! _She thought alarmingly.

Toushi seemed to be satisfied with her answer. "Well I was just wondering if you're not interested in her then maybe I can have a chance."

W… What?" Kayla stammered. She was completely thrown off by this.

"Do you think I stand a chance? Nuriko is just beautiful and so strong too from the way she carried you just like that. I think this is just fate. Do you believe love in first sight? I didn't until I saw her, so feminine, yet masculine all at once. What more can a man asked for?" Toushi continued speaking with a distant look on his face.

Kayla just blinked with a sweatdrop forming on her head. _Masculine is right... Uh oh... Toushi has a crush on Nuriko! He thinks that he's a woman! Not that I blame him, I practically made the same mistake when I first saw Nuriko. I better tell him before he makes an even bigger mistake. _Kayla was about to speak out when her door opened unexpectedly as Genrou walked in without knocking.

"Am I... interrupting anything?" Genrou asked with an eyebrow raised as he saw them sitting on the bed.

Toushi stopped talking and stood up quickly. "No boss, we're just talking, I have something to do now, and I'll talk to you later okay Kayla?" he spoke quickly. Kayla wanted to protest, but Toushi already left before she could utter a single word. For some suspicious reason, he was in a hurry all of a sudden and leaving her alone with the man she didn't feel like seeing for the moment. There was a long silence as Kayla refused to look at Genrou. The morning incident still playing fresh in her mind.

"Ummm... I brought some disinfectant for your wound," Genrou spoke breaking the silence. Kayla didn't answer. Quietly, Genrou brought a chair by her bedside and sat down. Slowly, he took hold of Kayla's wounded arm, which Kayla snatched away abruptly.

"What are you doing!" Kayla demanded hostilely, holding her wounded arm away from him.

"I'm disinfecting it, what do ya think?" Genrou shot back getting a little impatient from Kayla's edgy attitude.

"I can do it myself, I don't need your help," Kayla retorted.

"Don't be stupid, do you think you can do this with one hand only!"

"I said I could do it okay? So just leave now!"

"I'm not leaving until you let me treat your wound!"

"And if I still refused?"

"Then I won't let you leave this stronghold," Tasuki finalized, not that he ever had any intention of letting the boy leave in the first place, but he didn't need to know that.

Kayla's was shocked by his words before her expression marred with a look of anger again. "You can't stop me if I want to leave here on my free will!" she cried indignantly.

"I can if it means I can prevent you from making another stupid mistake. I am still the leader of this stronghold and if I can't stop you myself then I will order a few dozen men to help me. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It's your choice."

Kayla shot Genrou a glare, yet Genrou wouldn't back down. "Ok fine!" She said as she gave in, knowing that he wasn't going to give up anytime soon. The truth was, she was just too tired from all that has happened so far and it wasn't even a full day yet! With all the blood lost and all the energy she had used up, she no longer has the endurance to continue this battle of the wits and strength.

Genrou slowly took her arm and carefully unraveled Nuriko's handkerchief wrapped around the wound as a bandage. Kayla tried not to grimace when she saw her wound. The cut on her arm had stopped bleeding, but it was still quite a gruesome sight to behold.

Genrou eyes widen when he saw Kayla's arm. Other than the current wound, there were numerous faint scars on Kayla's arm that were caused by some unknown injuries or possibly abuse. It was easy to tell that some scars were more recent than the others. Genrou mentally frowned. If there were scars on one ofKayla's arm, chances are that most likely there would be otherscars on his other arm and quite possibly on his body as well. _What or who can cause so many injuries on one boy? _He thought as he took a glance at Kayla before taking a wet cloth to clean the wound. "How the hell did you get all these scars?" Genrou asked deciding to voice his thoughts.

Kayla looked startled, but then frowned. "Here and there. It's nothing," she answered evasivelypurposely leaving outthe details.

Genrou looked at Kayla suspiciously. "It doesn't seem like nothing," he pointed out.

"Are you treating my wounds or are you interrogating me again? They're just scars I got from playing when I was a child, so forget about it okay!" Kayla snapped. She didn't want to talk about her past. For one thing, it was too risky. Secondly, it was just too overwhelming to talk about the years of passing pains and tortures including the death of her beloved parents. She was afraid that it would only drive her to tears or to a point of hysteria if she decided to speak up. No, she was not ready to talk yet.

Genrou frowned disapprovingly_. He's hiding secrets again, I just know it. No damn person can get this many scars from just 'playing' _However, seeing Kayla's hesitation, he decided to let the subject rest for now.

When Genrou finished cleansing the wound, he began applying the disinfectant. Kayla yelped at the sudden pain and pulled her arm away. "That burns!" she complained.

"If it burns, then that means it's working. Will you stop acting like some whiny girl and just let me finish this!" Genrou argued frustratingly before he grabbed Kayla's arm back and began applying the medicine again.

Kayla hissed again at the burning sensation, but refrained herself from snatching her hand away.

"You know this is your own damn fault. You shouldn't have run away. Now look what happened to you, you're practically an accident waiting to happen," Genrou said with a smirk.

Kayla grew angry at his comment. "My fault! It's your fault that I left in the first place!"

"No one told you to fucking leave!"

"What was I suppose to do? Stay here and let you continue to interrogate and insult me! Sorry Genrou, but I have more pride than that!"

"I wasn't insulting you..."

"Oh then, what were you doing then huh! What were you doing when you said that no one would want me around, not even my parents! I don't need you to tell me that! I already know that my parents can't be with me anymore because they're both dead!" Kayla instantly shut her mouth in horror. She said too much. She looked down hiding her face underneath her bands refusing to meet Genrou's shocked expression.

Genrou was thrown off by Kayla's outburst. He didn't know that the boy's parents were both dead. He hadn't realized that his earlier thoughtless remark about his parents could have unintentionally nailed sore spot on Kayla. It must have really wounded the boy or else he wouldn't have tried to run away. Kayla was running away from him. Somehow that thought made something within his heart cringed in guilt and sadness.

For a while, no one said anything.

"Look Kayla... I'm sorry ok?" Genrou said uncomfortably. He was never good with this, but he knew he owed Kayla an apology despite his own pride.

"It hurts, Genrou" Kayla whispered, she wasn't sure why she said that out loud. The only reason she could explain for her actions was that she was still having the difficulty processing what she had accidentally revealed to Genrou about her parents. Her words sounded so broken that it unknowingly caused the guilt within the bandit's heart to deepen even more.

"I know... Kuso! I... Look... I already regret what I said to you before. I didn't mean it." Genrou stumbled miserably. Kayla looked up at him with a little confusion. He continued, while avoiding the boy's gaze. "Despite what I said, I do trust you. Believe it or not, I trusted you ever since you risked your life to save me from getting fried from Eiken. I know that you're keeping secrets, but I only wanted to know about ya or if you're in any trouble," Genrou said as he finished bandaging Kayla's wounds. He waited for Kayla response.

"I... I'm not sure if I want anyone to know about my past," Kayla whispered back uncertainly.

"I know that now, so I won't pry anymore until you're good and ready to tell me or anyone else"

Kayla was surprised. Of all things she expected from him, she was NOT expecting such a... sincere apology from _Genrou_. Yet the sincerity, she had seen reflected off of Genrou was genuine and left her lost for words. "I..."

"If it makes you feel any better, you can even give me a punishment for hurting you," Genrou added quickly taking her hesitation as a sign of misgiving.

"I don't know..." Kayla said slowly, still stunned from the amount of sincerity the well-known arrogant bandit was displaying.

"Come on Kayla, this is a _once _in a lifetime opportunity, you might as well take it before I take it back," Genrou urged giving her a smirk showing off his protruding fangs.

Kayla couldn't help but smiled at Genrou's effort to make up with her. It was somewhat... sweet, she had to admit. "Any punishment?" She asked as an idea came to her.

"Anything," Genrou confirmed, feeling a bit more relaxed that Kayla was finally loosening up.

"Promise you won't back out?"

"I promise, now tell what the hell I have to do."

"Ok fine... No sake for you for two whole months," Kayla stated clearly for him to hear.

"Ok... no sake for... WHAT!" Genrou shouted, obviously not expecting her to ask for such a thing.

"Kayla smirked at his outburst. "You said '_anything'_ Genrou, and you can't back out now."

* * *

It was the next day and late in the morning when Kayla yawned as she walked down the hall towards the main room. She slept all day of yesterday after Genrou apologized to her. She couldn't help but grinned as she thought back to Genrou's reaction when she punished him by restricting him from sake._ I wonder if he'll actually keep his promise? He probably won't be able to last very long considering this **is** Genrou we're talking about. Sake's practically his life source s_he thought amusedly. _Still, it would be fun to watch how he tries though…_

When she walked into the main room, she was surprised to find that a group of people were already there. She looked around to see Miaka, Nuriko and Hotohori sitting by a table while Genrou and Kouji stood nearby leaning against the wall. "Morning everyone!" greeted Kayla as she stepped into the room feeling much cheerful after a peaceful rest from the day before. However, no one responded and just looked at her with a grim expression. "What's wrong? Why is everyone acting like someone just died or something?" Kayla asked a little confused at the sudden solemn environment.

"Someone _did_ died," Nuriko answered sadly.

"What? Who died?" Kayla asked, looking at Genrou questioningly, however, he didn't answer.

"T...Tasuki," Miaka answered her as she looked at Kayla with a mournful expression. "Tasuki died," she repeated as if she was having a hard time accepting the fact.

Kayla understood. Tasuki was a Suzaku Seishi. With his death, Miaka would not be able to summon the god, Suzaku and also wouldn't be able to keep her promise to Tamahome. No wonder the girl looked so upset. "But how did you know? Did you just found him?" she asked.

"We asked Genrou whether he knew anyone with a red character on his body around here since he is the leader. Luckily, he knew one who turned out to be Tasuki. Unfortunately, he told us that Tasuki already died from an illness a few months ago." Nuriko explained as he looked sadly at his Miko.

"Are you sure about this Genrou?" Kayla asked, eyeing Genrou suspiciously.

Genrou let out a snort. "Of course I'm sure. Tasuki was our former leader. I even showed them his crypt as proof earlier this morning."

Kayla nodded, finding no reason to disbelieve him and made her way to Miaka and sat down as well. "I'm sorry that you all came all the way here for nothing Miaka, so what are you guys planning to do now?" she asked.

"I think we should continue on and look for the other Suzaku Seishi, Mitsukake and Chiriko. Even though Tasuki's dead, it does not mean we should give up our hopes," Hotohori suggested.

"That does seem like a good idea Hotohori-sama," Nuriko agreed.

"Maybe you guys could check out that village located a little east from here, there is rumour that there is a person there with the ability to revive the dead back to life. It may or may not be true but you all can take a look," Kouji spoke up for the first time since Kayla came.

"Really?" Miaka looked at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "We should go there and maybe find this person to revive Tasuki and maybe we can even find Mitsukake and Chiriko at the same time. It's a small possibility, but I'll take it even if there is only a small chance of success." she declared excitedly.

Kayla smiled as she watched the girl's enthusiasm returning.

Then unexpectedly, a growl was heard in the room and everyone looked at Miaka. She blushed and looked down at her stomach. "I'm sorry guys, but can we eat first? I'm hungry." She said sheepishly with a hand behind her head. Everyone else in the room face-faulted.

"You're always hungry Miaka" Nuriko said knocking Miaka over the head affectionately.

"Goodbye everyone! Come visit sometime!" Kayla waved goodbye to Miaka, Nuriko and Hotohori as they rode off into the distance. She was sad to see them leave so soon, especially Miaka and Nuriko whom she just began to get along with almost immediately after she first met them. Hotohori was actually quite nice as well despite their rough beginning. After breakfast (which Kayla had a chance to witness with extreme amazement and awe at Miaka's wondrously vast appetite) the group decided to leave shortly after so that they could get a head start before nightfall.

She turned to look at Genrou and Kouji who came with her to say goodbye as well. "Do you think they'll succeed in summoning Suzaku?" she asked wondering.

"Che... How would I know? I'm not them," Genrou answered nonchalantly.

"Don't worry Kayla they'll probably be fine, you don't have to worry about them or..." Kouji grinned and gave Kayla a suggestive nudge on the side "or are you more worried about Miaka? She is a pretty little girl ain't she?"

Genrou snorted. "Girls are nothing but troubled," he said looking away in another direction.

Kayla nearly choked at Kouji's implications. _Kami-sama! He thinks I have a crush on Miaka! I'm a girl for God sake! But... he doesn't know that,_ she thought nervously with a sweatdrop. "Don't get any wrong ideas Kouji, Miaka is pretty enough, but hehe, we're just friends ok? Nothing more, nothing less," she said laughingly, giving Kouji a good-naturally punch in the arm and hope that he would get the message to lay-off the topic.

To her relief, he got the message and kept quiet, although she could still see the doubting smirk on Kouji's. Kayla suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. _Why is it that when you see a '**guy**' nice to a girl, they automatically think that **he** has a **thing** for the girl? Can't they just accept the fact that they could be just friends?_ She thought exasperatingly. However, she guessed she couldn't blame Kouji much for his assumptions. It was just a price she would have to pay for disguising as a guy and that included the fact of having others assuming that she liked girls. That was basically how things worked around here right? Boys like girls and girls like boys, right? (Well except for the few exceptions where people would have other preferences but that was being a little too detailed). She decided to change the topic to something less awkward. "Where's Toushi? Why isn't he here?"

Kouji just shrugged. "Beats me, I haven't seen him all morning."

Kayla frowned. Strange that Toushi would disappear like that after his little love confession for Nuriko to her yesterday. She still did not have the chance to tell him that Nuriko's a man. _I wonder if he found out yet?_

"Come on, let's go inside, you're coming Kayla?" Kouji asked, bringing Kayla out of her thoughts.

"Yeah okay, I'll come in later," she answered.

Kouji nodded and he went inside followed closely by Genrou. Was it just her? Or did she actually saw Genrou hesitated a little for some reason before he went in? She shrugged the thought off, as it would not have made any sense if he did or not. She took one last look in the distance where her new friends had disappeared off. _Good luck my friends_ she thought before she went back inside.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Cancer: (Snaps out her trance and looked up from the screen) #! How long have we been out of it! (Hits Gemini on the head to wake her up also)

Gemini: Who?...What?...Where?... When?... HUH?... !

Cancer: I can't believe we just got zoned out like that! And throughout the whole chapter too!

Gemini: (Sweatdrop) You can't really blame us, I mean with all those wonderful reviews (sighs dreamily and starts to get starry eyes again)

Cancer: (Pours a bucket of cold water over Gemini) Snap out of it already!

Gemini: HEY I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT! (About to hit Cancer with her mallet when she pauses and reread the disclaimer part) WHAT THE HELL!

Cancer: What? (Reads the disclaimer as well) WHAT THE HELL? Who the heck was that narrator voice guy who did all the stuff that we were suppose to do! AND he even read our memos we were going to say to the readers before we were hypnotized!

Gemini: AND he even read from our **'_1001 things to do'_ **list! That's private! How dare he... ummm... or she! Just who does this narrator think he/she is!

Cancer: And he/she called us poor! #! We don't need this jerk to say that! We already know that!

Gemini: (sweatdrop)...

**(To be continued... Just who was that mysterious narrator that appeared and disappeared? '_Dramatic theme song'_)**

Thank you for reading! We hope that you enjoyed it. Stay tuned for next chapter! We hope that Tasuki hadn't been too out of character when he apologized to Kayla but we were trying to make him to seem like he's struggling yet trying to be somewhat sincere at the same time . Well send in a review and tell us what you think!


	11. You're WHO?

**Disclaimers:** Twin Girls does not own Fushigi Yuugi, it was really created byYuu Watase and other related companies.

Gemini: (walks in) Where the heck is Cancer? I need her to check out this next chapter that I wrote and to thank all the reviewers for reviewing chapter 10!

Cancer: Psh...

Gemini: (Looks around and sees nothing) What?

Cancer: Psh, psh...

Gemini: (Turns to see Cancer dressed in green army camouflage clothes hiding behind some indoor potted ferns). What the hell are you doing Cancer?

Cancer: Sh... Do you want to give me away? What does it look like? I'm hiding and waiting for that mysterious disclaimer stealer from chapter 10. Once he or she comes I'll jump at him and find out who the heck he is! BWHAHAHAHA

Gemini: (sweatdrop) O...k... Cancer I don't think it's going to work, that isn't even a good disguise and who the hell would hide behind indoor plants!

Cancer: (sweatdrop) Well you can't blame me! I am limited in supplies, but that doesn't matter I will not fail BWHAHAHA and YOU (points to Gemini) are going to join me and wait for this mysterious man too.

Gemini: What! (Shakes her head) there is no way I'm going to wear those ugly clothes and stand behind some stupid plants all day! I have other things to do, and places to go you know!

Cancer: Oh yes, you are going to help me whether you like it or not (jumps at Gemini and dragged her off while Gemini cries bloody murder)

(A few minutes later...)

Gemini: YOU ARE SO DEAD CANCER (mutters curses while hiding behind the ferns wearing an identical army outfit as Cancer)

Cancer: Oh be quiet Gemini... that guy might come soon so we have to be on the lookout. Besides it's not '_that_' bad behind here. Popcorn? (Hands Gemini a bag of popcorn seemingly out of nowhere)

Gemini: (Glares at Cancer)

(Will Cancer and Gemini succeed in catching this mysterious disclaimer stealer or will Gemini kill Cancer first... Stay tune for next time)

Enjoy our fic!

**Chapter 11: You're WHO!**

"Where is he?" Kayla shouted in frustration as she walked down the hallway alone. "Where could Toushi possibly be!" When Kayla went back inside the stronghold, she began to search for Toushi to see how he was doing. Genrou and Kouji had left her earlier claiming that they had to discuss the plans for their next raid in the city. Kayla had been looking for Toushi everywhere in the stronghold and all the other possible places he could be, yet she still had no luck in finding the older man.

_What happened to him? He's been missing ever since he confessed to me that he's in love with Nuriko. I wonder if Nuriko knew anything or if he told Toushi his true gender or not?_ Then it dawned on her. The lake! Toushi was the one who showed her that lake and told her that he always liked to go there whenever he was upset about something. It was very possible that he may be there right now! She smacked herself in the head for not realizing it sooner and hurriedly headed for the forest.

_Okay, this is my last hope. Toushi better be out here somewhere before I have to actually tell Kouji to form a search party to look for him,_ she thought anxiously as she walked down the familiar route towards the lake.

When she finally reached the clearing to the lake, the sun still shone brightly in the early noon. The birds sang sweetly and the cool, calm lake reflected the beautiful scenery around it perfectly. As she stepped out into the opening, she immediately spotted a man standing near the lake, instantly recognizing him to be Toushi. He was unaware of her presence there and she didn't dared to disturb him. She continued to watch Toushi as he stared constantly at the lake as if he was in deep contemplation. His eyes seemed glinted with sadness making it look dull and lifeless.

_Toushi must be upset about something, relating to Nuriko most likely. Should I talk to him now or leave him to think things over?... Well from the look of things, he doesn't seem like he wants to talk now... maybe I will talk to him when he's feeling a little better._ Kayla turned to leave the scene quietly and was about to head back towards the stronghold when unexpectedly, she heard a **_'Splash!'_** Immediately, she turned back to the lake, a feeling of dread snaking up her spine as she did so.

Toushi was gone. The rippling that had broken the surface of the calm lake indicated the only clue as to where the man had gone.

She gasped. "Toushi!" she shouted panicking. _Dear God, please no! _She thought fearfully as she ran quickly towards the lake and jumped into it herself without a second to lose. After a few minutes, Kayla emerged back to the surface of the lake and began to swim towards the shore while dragging Toushi by his shirt as she swam. When she finally reached the land, she instantly threw Toushi on the ground. She was both shocked and mightily pissed off at Toushi's attempt to commit suicide that she didn't even bother to be gentle with him.

"What the hell!" Toushi managed to choke out while coughing as he looked at Kayla in dismay.

"Yeah, that's right Toushi! WHAT THE HELL WERE _YOU_ DOING?" Kayla shouted before she dropped beside Toushi to inhaled deeply to fill her oxygen-deprived lungs.

"What! I was just..."

"Yeah, you were just trying to end you own stupid, freakin' life by drowning yourself to death huh!" Kayla interrupted. Toushi's eyes widened as he listened to Kayla's yelling. "Damn! I never knew you could be this stupid, Toushi! I mean, to end your life over another _man_! Just what were you thinking!"

Toushi just stared back at her in utter shocked. Then to Kayla's amazement, Toushi suddenly burst out laughing. _Dear God, does he actually find this to be amusing! Or did he swallow too much water and now it has gone to his brain!_ Kayla narrowed her eyes and glared angrily at Toushi.

As if Toushi noticed her glare, he tried to control himself from laughing. "Kayla," he began speaking. "Don't tell me that you actually _thought_ I was trying to drown myself a moment ago."

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Oh no, you weren't trying to kill yourself back there, you were just having a nice swim. Meanwhile, I just so happened to show up and decided to join you in your little swim!" Kayla spoke, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Before, she could yell at him again for being such an idiot, Toushi decided to interrupt her.

"Are you done yet?" he asked, a smile still visible on his face.

Kayla took a breath to calm herself. "Okay I'm done, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I wasn't committing suicide as you initially thought, I'm not stupid Kayla. Honestly, I thought you would at least give me more credit than that," Toushi clarified, pretending to look a little hurt.

"So why the hell did you jump into the lake in the first place?" Kayla asked, sounding doubtful to his words. "Don't tell me that you actually want to go for a swim with all your clothes still on, because if you are, I seriously think you nee-"

"I was trying to get this, I accidentally dropped it into the lake and so I went after it," Toushi explained, effectively cutting off of another one of Kayla's scolding. He held out the mysterious object in his hand for her to see.

"You jumped into a lake only to retrieve a bracelet?" Kayla cried incredulously.

Toushi looked offended. "Not just _any_ bracelet, I got it on my first raid, it's practically my most prized possession. I was planning to give it to Nuriko when I confess my love to her... ahem, I mean _him,_ but well... it didn't work out very well let's just say."

Kayla saddened at Toushi's comment, the anger finally dispersed from her mind. "You must have been really in love if you were willing to give something that important to you away," she said.

To her surprised, Toushi shook his head smiling. "Nah... it wasn't really love," he said.

"But didn't you said before that it was love at first sight," Kayla protested.

"It seemed like that, but I later found that it was more of an infatuation, not love,"

"But how do you know?" Kayla asked a little confused. It was no surprise that she never had any experience with the concept of romantic love. She had other things to worry about and she never felt of the need to understand such a complicated subject up until now. The only loving relationship that she witnessed in her life was her mother and father, but that was so long ago and the memories were a blur.

Toushi just chuckled. "Oh you'll know when you're in love, it's unexplainable. You'll just _know_". Seeing Kayla's confusion, he laughed again. "Maybe you're still a little young to understand, after all, I _am_ older," he said teasingly, while patting Kayla on the head in a condescending manner.

Kayla dodged and punched half-heartily on Toushi's arm. "You're not _that_ much older," she said laughingly at the man who was only about five years her senior. "Let's go back because thanks to you, I'm all wet." She stood up with her wet clothes and hair clinging uncomfortably to her body. In her mind, she was thankful that her chest bindings and dark-colour of her shirt prevented an obvious outlook of her body appearance. Nevertheless, despite the fact that her secret was still safe, she had no doubt that she would catch a cold if she stayed out here in the open breeze any longer.

Agreeing with her suggestion, Toushi nodded and joined her as they both headed back.

* * *

Kayla walked out of her room after changing out of her wet clothes. Her long hair was still wet when she re-braided it, but there was nothing she could do about that. _I wonder if Genrou and Kouji are still busy planning for their raid? If not, maybe I could ask Kouji to train me a little more _she thought as she made her way to the main room where the two men would be. When she reached the room, she found that the door was closed partially with only a crack opened. She peeked in. 

She found Kouji and Genrou still talking. Both of them seemed too absorbed in their own conversation to notice her presence. _Looks like they're still busy discussing their plans, maybe I'll come back later_ she decided, not really wanting to disturb them and turned away from the door to go somewhere else.

"You know Genrou, you really shouldn't have lied to them saying that Tasuki's dead," Kouji said from inside the room.

Kayla's head snapped back. _What! _She instantly turned back to peek through the door._ Did I hear what I think I just heard! Tasuki's not... dead? _

"No way! You know I have my responsibilities here as the leader, I had to keep it a secret," she heard Genrou retaliated.

Kayla heard enough.

**'_SLAM_!'**

She kicked open the door and stormed into room without bothering with the startled looks she was receiving from Genrou and Kouji.

"Kayla! What the hell..."

"You!" she shouted, effectively interrupting Genrou while jabbing a finger forcefully against his chest. "I've heard everything out there! Why the hell did you lie?"

"Kuso! Kayla, you were eavesdropping?" Genrou exclaimed, both surprised and angry at the same time.

Kayla scowled and crossed her arms. "So what if I did? If I hadn't _accidentally_ eavesdropped on you guys, I would have never found out that you were hiding something as big as this! How could you Genrou! Don't you know how hard Miaka, Nuriko and Hotohori were trying to find Tasuki! How can you be so selfish as to hide him from them!" she exclaimed accusingly.

Genrou could feel the edge of his temper rising, overriding his initial shock. "This matter is none of your business!" he growled warningly, his form tensing defensively as he glared angrily at the smaller individual before him. However Kayla didn't flinched, refusing to back down from his warning.

"Ah...guys?" Kouji spoke up wanting to calm them both down before they would jump for each other's throat.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" Kayla and Genrou both yelled and shot him a death glare before turning their attentions back to each other. Kouji instantly stopped talking and stepped back with his hands up in front of him, acting as a shield. On the other hand, he valued his own life and it was probably better to stay out of their way before they would leap for _his_ throat instead. The fierce heat of the verbal spar was already becoming too intense for any third person to handle.

"I'm _making_ it my business," Kayla argued back, her glare never wavered. "And besides, what right do _you_ have to decide whether Tasuki goes with them or not! It should be up to him to decide, not you!" she added angrily.

Genrou suddenly became very calm, although one could still see the fire in his molten amber eyes. The next words that came from his lips were spoken in an equable manner yet strongly held the firm, proud passion underlying his declaration. "I have every damn right to make Tasuki's decision because I _AM_ Tasuki!"

Silence...

"...?"

"Uh... say that again," Kayla managed to utter. In truth, she had caught every word that he had just announced, but still found that she was having a hard time processing the meaning of his words. It didn't help that she was having a hard time believing it either.

"I. Am. Tasuki. A Suzaku Seishi," Genrou repeated, articulating every word as if he was talking to a three year-old.

It seemed like a long time before Kayla found her voice again. "You... you're... you're Tasuki?" she echoed uncertainly.

Genrou nodded as a little smirk began to form on the tip of his mouth. "That's what I've been saying" he replied, slightly amused at Kayla's sudden dazed reaction. Maybe now the little runt will just shut up and leave him with his own decision.

Too bad he hadn't realized that ever since Kayla came into his life, nothing ever really seemed to go smoothly his way anymore.

Tasuki's words finally began to sink in her mind. "Dear Suzaku! _YOU'RE _Tasuki?" she repeated, this time more louder than the last. "I can't believe this!"

Genrou raised an eyebrow. "See for yourself," he replied back and rolled up the blue sleeve of his right arm. Kayla looked. There, unmistakably marked on his right arm, laid the red character, _yoku_ meaning 'wing'. It glowed with a fierce, yet calm bright red light, instantly confirming that this man standing before her now was very much indeed, the true and genuine Suzaku Seishi, Tasuki. She couldn't doubt him now. "How come you never said anything about this?" she demanded, after recovering from her initial shock.

"You never asked," he answered simply, deliberately giving Kayla a smirk, knowing how much that expression can always manage to vex the boy.

As predicted, Kayla's anger raised to another level. _I just asked him how he could hide something so important from everyone and all he could say was '**You never asked**' ! Damn him!_ She was so choked up with frustration that she was having problems voicing her next question.

"Why. Did. You. Lie?" she asked while once again, jabbing her finger at his chest forcefully at each and every word of her sentence. Despite her little display of violence, she had managed keep her voice steady from shouting again, keeping her temper in check. Getting angry would only get her nowhere especially when she wanted to get some straight answers. "I am NOT leaving until I get some answers," she added firmly when she saw that Genrou was about to protest again.

To her surprise, Genrou's expression softened, not even seemingly angered anymore nor affected by her finger jabbing firmly against his chest. "I am the leader of the Leikaku bandits," he answered solemnly. "I have my responsibilities here, I can't afford to leave on some damn journey to protect some strange girl from another world."

Whether it had been a deliberate intent or not, his response had efficiently threw Kayla off-balance. It wasn't really what she had been expecting. She had expected him to give some sarcastic comment and say that it was none of her business. She had been more than ready to have to fight the answer out of the flamed-hair man.

What she hadn't expected was to have him give the answer so easily and so... so honestly. She felt her anger started to diminish as an understanding dawned upon her. She was right when she thought Genrou to be an obnoxious and egotistic man. However, she was also right about the fact of how Genrou was a loyal, dedicated friend and leader to his fellow bandits. Whether she liked it or not, she respected that despite all his other faults.

"I supposed you're going to say that I'm being selfish again. I don't care what the hell you say, you can't force me to go if I don't want to," Genrou spoke adamantly. He was expecting Kayla to burst out into anger again or say something to threaten him to change his mind (not that he would have cared or listened). However, it was his turn to be surprised when Kayla had done neither. To his shock and amazement, the boy just shook his head. His anger was no longer evident, although he still stood firmly before him. Not once did Kayla back away from him, standing tall even though the boy's head reached no higher than his chin. _At least he's no longer trying to poke me to death_ he thought with mild amusement when the Kayla's hand finally settled at his side again instead of jabbing at his chest. Had Kayla honestly thought he could hurt him like that?

"I'm not going to force you to go, Genrou" Kayla spoke as her determined amber gaze met evenly with his own. "Like I said before, it was up to Tasuki to decide for himself whether to protect the Suzako no Miko or not. Believe it or not, I do understand your reason for not wanting to go. I won't push you since I have no right to. In fact, I'll even respect your decision even if I don't agree with it." Kayla turned and began to head towards the door.

However, before Kayla reached the door, she paused hesitantly before turning back around to look at him again. "You keep saying that being the leader of the Leikaku bandits is your responsibility. Well, being a Seishi is also your responsibility as well as your destiny whether you like to admit it or not. It's something that you can't ignore forever _Tasuki_," she said, deliberately using his Seishi name for the first time. The sound of his name sounded so foreign to his ears due to its neglected use.

Kayla's expression seemed to sadden with her next words. "Many people searched all their lives for a purpose or meaning. Something that they could hold on to instead of wandering aimlessly through life. Some people found it while some don't. I guess you're one of the luckier ones." Then without waiting for his response, Kayla finally turned and walked out of the room.

Genrou was a little confused at Kayla's sudden change in attitude. It was nothing near anger nor was it joy or happiness or... or anything! It was more of an understanding and acceptance of things maybe tinge with a bit of sadness. It was definitely a side of Kayla he had never seen nor heard before. It was very... unexpected from the usually short-tempered and reckless boy he was so used to facing everyday. This sudden change left Genrou a little stunned and dazed along with the feeling of… guilt? Why the hell would he feel guilty?

"Ahem…" Kouji cleared his throat loudly finally alerting Genrou of his presence. Genrou snapped out of his thoughts having almost forgotten that his comrade was still there with him.

"You know, Kayla _does_ have a point," Kouji stated, smiling a little.

Genrou just scowled at his friend and turned away, refusing to let his friend see his confusion. However, Kouji just chuckled good-naturedly, not at all surprised at his friend's stubbornness as he too, walked out of the main room shaking his head.

Genrou was left alone with his thoughts playing in his mind. He usually didn't like to think too much. Thinking could only lead to doubts, hesitations and wasted valuable time. Of course, that didn't mean he doesn't think at all despite popular demand. It was just that he much preferred to take action than to sit around and do nothing. There were moments when he would stop and reflect in order to sort out all those damn confusing thoughts in his head because let's face it, having a muddled head can drive any sane person crazy. However, it was a still a side of him that he rarely showed to others. He did have his 't_ough guy_' reputation to preserve after all.

Whether he liked it or not, now was one of those times when he needed to sort out those damn confusing thoughts again. And to think it was all because of that one boy, a fact that made him uneasy. As much as he tried, he could not extinguished Kayla's voice as his words repeated continuously in his head as he tried to decide what to do.

It wasn't until it had became much later in the day when Genrou had finally reached a decision.

* * *

_**Later on that night**_

_Damn! Should I go in or just leave? _After Genrou had made his decision earlier that day, he hesitated of whether he should inform Kayla or not. He initially thought that since Kayla was the one who had played a part in his decision, he felt that Kayla should at least have the right to know what it was he had decided.

_Kuso! What's so damn hard to just knock on the stupid door and just walk in! Com'on man, don't tell me that you're afraid of **Kayla**! _Genrou scolded to himself while pacing back and forth in front of Kayla's door for the past couple of minutes.

He growled softly when he realized his train of thought. _What the fuck? **ME?** Afraid of Kayla? Feh... You've gotta be kidding! _

_Well, let's face it buddy, **obviously** you're afraid to face Kayla because **he's** the one who forced you to face reality and made you see the damn truth when you didn't want to, right?_

_No! _he automatically answered. Genrou stopped his pacing on his last thought and let out a sigh. Who the hell was he trying to fool? Himself? He thought wearily. He always tried to make a resignation to NOT lie to himself when the truth was slapping him in the face. He wasn't about to start now.

It was true that Kayla was one of the reasons in why he chose this decision in the end. No matter how much Genrou hated the idea, he could not deny that Kayla was the one who pointed out to him that he had the responsibility to face his own destiny. However, Genrou still disliked the fact in how Kayla could have such an effect on him. The boy had single-handedly somehow managed to make him consider things that Genrou, himself would very much prefer to ignore. He _would _have succeeded too, in ignoring the whole thing completely if it wasn't for him. It was unbelievable of how Kayla could be so influential on _him_. If Genrou were to be even more honest with himself; he would believed that not even Kouji, his lifelong best friend, could have the same impact on him. Of course, he would die first before letting anyone know the truth about this little new insight.

Genrou sighed and cursed himself._ Com'on man! Just knock on the damn door, walk in and tell him whatever you wanna say, then leave. Get it over and be done with it... As simple as that... No problem!... _Genrou took a deep breath, brought his hand up and prepared to knock on the door. But before his knuckles had even made contact with its wooden surface, the door flung open, surprising him at the same time. _Damn! He should have opened the door earlier so that I didn't have to go through all that pacing and fucking argument with myself! _He thought frustratingly as he found himself gazing into a pair of startled amber eyes.

* * *

_**A few minutes earlier**_

Kayla sat on her bed, quietly thinking about all that had happened earlier that day right after her little discovery of Genrou's _other _identity. Although, she had been shocked that Genrou was actually a Suzaku Seishi, she had to admit that it had all made sense after she thought about it. It would certainly explain Genrou's inhuman speed and agility that she witnessed and experienced when he fought. She was pretty sure no normal human could move like that no matter how skilled that person could be.

Although it was truly none of her business, she really felt that Genrou was making the wrong choice in deciding not to help Miaka. Truthfully, she wished that she could really blame him or call him irresponsible, but found it hard to do so since she knew that he was staying here because of his responsibilities here in the stronghold. She guessed she could somewhat understand the challenges and pressure of being a Suzaku Seishi. They would always have to fight their enemies and even risked their own lives in order to protect their Miko. Nevertheless, like she said before, the choice was Genrou's to make. Who was she to say whether he should go or not?

Despite everything, she couldn't help but to feel that Genrou was throwing his destiny away. When she had said earlier about how he was considered to be one of the luckier ones to have a goal in life, while some gone through life aimlessly, she hadn't realized until much later, that she was not really talking about other people in general. She was, in fact, implying to herself.

Sadly, it was true. After her parents' death, she had been wandering around aimlessly. She did have a goal while she stayed with her aunt and uncle and that was to stay alive and to escape to freedom. But what about now? She succeeded in escaping, but what could she do now? How ironic. She found her freedom, but now she still have nowhere to go.

In the back of her mind, she would have liked to stay here, everyone like Kouji and Toushi treated her warmly and she was welcomed, something she had not felt in such a long time. But the more realistic part of her doubted that she could stay here in the stronghold forever. She didn't want to impose anymore and she didn't want to keep hiding her true self from them. Revealing her secret was out of the question. So now, where _could_ she go? She had no other relatives or friends she could go to. She had no goal, no path. Nothing.

To her dismay, Kayla felt tears rolling down her cheeks as she drowned in her self-pity. Before she met Genrou and the others, she had almost forgotten how to cry. She had always tried to remain strong and forced herself NOT to cry during the times when she was with her aunt and uncle. However now, she found it harder and harder to contain her emotions. She couldn't understand why she would be so vulnerable to her feelings now and be so... transparent. Just like the time when she had involuntarily shed tears before _Genrou,_ of all people, when she had that horrible argument with him before. Now, she was crying again, but unlike the last time, she was too exhausted this time to hold her tears back. And since this time no one was there to witness the temporary display of weakness, she didn't bothered to hold it back. For once, she will let herself the luxury of succumbing to her pitiful emotions, if only for awhile.

She let her tears flowed for a few more minutes before she shook her head in disgust. Enough was enough; there was no point to wallow in self-pity. _Maybe I should go take a walk,_ she decided thinking that it would be a good way to clear all those miserable thoughts from her head. She wiped her tears with her sleeves and walked towards the door.

She opened the door swiftly and gave a startled yelp. Right in front of her doorway, stood Genrou, surprised as well with his one arm raised, ready to knock on her door for some reason. "Damn it Genrou! What the hell are you doing here? You almost scared me to death! Don't you ever stand in front of my door like that especially in the middle of the night like this or else I'm gonna..."

"I need to talk to you," Genrou interrupted in middle of Kayla's ranting.

Kayla would have protested, but when she saw the seriousness on Genrou's face, she instantly knew that it was important. She gave a small sigh of resignation. "Alright, do you want to talk somewhere else? I was planning to go for a walk anyway. Care to join me?" she offered.

Tasuki shrugged, "Fine with me."

* * *

They stepped out into the porch and into the peaceful night. Kayla breathed deeply taking in the night air, feeling a little better from her earlier sadness. She sat down on the porch steps and looked up into the night sky. It was truly a beautiful sight as many stars twinkled brightly accompanied once again with the proud full moon. She could stay out here and admired the stars all night, but there was another reason why she was out here in the first place. 

She looked up at Genrou, who remained standing beside her and looking up at the stars as well. She could tell from his expression that he was distracted with something in his mind. It surprised her a little to see him so serious, so very different from the usually loud-mouthed, annoying, and egotistic man she was so used of facing. "You wanted to talk to me about something?" she asked him, unable to contain her curiosity anymore.

Genrou gave her a startled glance before sitting down on the steps beside Kayla. Unknowingly, he had been pondering about the slight redness in the boy's eyes. It wasn't very noticeable though. Had Genrou not seen it clearly when the boy had surprised him at his bedroom doorway, he would have missed it completely. Although it was really none of his business, he had a slight suspicion that the boy had been crying. But why would Kayla be crying? Was it because of him again? The thought of that possibility bothered him greatly and made him cringed in discomfort.

Kayla narrowed her eyes in confusion. Why was Tasuki staring at her like that without saying anything? Not only was it out of character for the bandit leader, it was greatly unnerving. "What? Is there something on my face?" she said, trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere although she couldn't really hide the nervousness from her tone.

Tasuki blinked, not realizing he had been staring at the boy all this time. His eyes diverted instantly to focus on something else in front of him instead. _Just great_ he thought with self-annoyance. _Now I made him nervous. Why the hell should I care if he had been crying or not? That's not why I'm here in the first place. I don't care…_ he mentally sighed. _I shouldn't…_

"Well? What is it that you were going to say to me?" Kayla pressed, getting a little impatient but managed to bring focus back on the matter at hand._ What in the world is he up to?_

It was obvious Kayla didn't want him to touch on such a sensitive topic concerning the reason behind his sadness. Genrou would just have to grant the boy's wish for privacy. Hadn't he promised him that?

"I'm going," Genrou finally spoke, his eyes still looking ahead.

"What?" Kayla asked not really understanding what he was saying.

"I'm going after the Suzaku no Miko. You're right, it is my destiny as Tasuki to protect her and to help her." A smirk appeared on his face. "And by the looks of it, this Miko needs all the help she can get."

Kayla was surprised to say the least. "You... you're going? That's good news!... but what about your place as the leader here?"

"Kouji can take over while I'm away, he is my second-in-command after all," Genrou answered nonchalantly.

Kayla nodded, silently happy and relieved that Genrou had come through in the end. Then a thought struck her. "Hey Genrou, did you just say what I think you said? That I'm actually _right_?" Kayla asked, smirking at the proud man.

Genrou turned to give her a fangy grin. "Yeah well, don't get use to it. It _won't_ happen again!"

Kayla laughed. She couldn't help it. It was a very rare event to have Genrou openly admit that anyone other than himself to be right about anything. It must have been a great sacrifice to his large ego. When she calmed down, she looked at Genrou again and had to suppress the urge to laugh again. It was quite comical. He looked as if he was trying to look offended or angry at her laughing, but couldn't hide the hint of a smile playing on the corner of his lips. "So why are you telling me this?" she asked, a little curious as to why he would want her to know.

Genrou looked away and looked off into the distance again. "Thought you might want to know just in case you start wondering why I'm not here tomorrow to annoy the hell out of you like usual," he answered.

"Wait, you're going tomorrow already?" Kayla exclaimed in surprised.

"Of course, gotta start early if I'm gonna catch up to them," Genrou answered, shrugging his shoulders.

Kayla nodded in understanding before they fell into silence again. Each of them left with their own thoughts. Kayla was surprised to feel a hint of sadness to see Genrou go. Not that she wasn't ecstatic to have the annoying man off her back for awhile, but he was still someone she had grown accustomed to just like Kouji, Toushi and the rest of the bandits. To have him suddenly not there, it just felt... well... a little strange.

Startled, she realized that she would actually _miss_ him despite the fact that they were constantly fighting and getting into arguments. Somehow unknowingly at the same time, she was slowly seeing him more and more as a friend… a close friend, and someone she could trust her life with. _I wonder if he sees me as a friend as well?_ She mused as she took a peek at Genrou. He was surprisingly quiet, very different indeed from what she expected. _Must be thinking about the Seishi thing. He may be annoying but I'm glad he found his destiny. _Her hand went unconsciously to her necklace as a question rose to her mind. _I wonder if I'll ever find mine or do I even have one_.

_If I do have a goal, will I find it if I stay here in the stronghold? Or will I have to eventually leave too? But where can I go without getting into trouble or risk bumping into my unwanted relatives again?_ Her grip on the red stone tightened as if it would give her answers if she tried hard enough.

It was funny of how she had _almost_ forgotten about the people she was running away from. She guessed it was because of all the excitements during her stay here, distracting her somewhat from her worries. Then an idea suddenly struck her. "Genrou," she spoke out bringing the man's focus on her. "I want to come with you," she declared without warning, her earnest and determined expression providing the only clue that she was serious.

"What? What the hell for?" Genrou exclaimed, shocked to say the least.

"Well... I always wanted to go on an adventure, and this will be a great opportunity to do so," Kayla answered, slightly fidgeting with her sleeves. It was really partly the reason in why she wanted to go, but decided that it was probably better to keep the main reason to herself instead.

"There is no fucking way you're coming with me! You are more trouble then you're worth!" He retorted, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"Oh com'ON Genrou, let me come with you! If you want, I promise I won't cause any trouble for you," Kayla urged, hoping that Genrou would give in.

However Genrou snorted. "I doubt you won't cause any trouble for me. Like I said, you are like a freakin' ACCIDENT _waiting_ to happen. I don't need someone like you around me all the time thank you very much," and with that, he crossed his arms and turned his back to her, indicating he was not going to change his mind no matter what.

Kayla frowned. She didn't expect him to be _this_ disagreeable in letting her to come along. Was she really _that_ annoying to him? Surprisingly that knowledge hurt her more than expected and she had to suppress the unexpected emotion from showing on her face. She was still determined to go through with her decision whether the stubborn man was allowing her or not. Nevertheless, it would be better (not to mention more easier on herself) if she can have the man's support.

Drastic plans calls for drastic measures.

She stepped in front him, facing the bandit head-on before clasping her hands together and gave him what she hoped was a pleading 'puppy-dog' expression. She rarely used such a technique but it usually proved to be effective especially with Kouji. So maybe it would work on Genrou as well. "Please Genrou, I really need to do this, I promise I'll at least _try_ not to cause much trouble for you. **_Please_**…" she pleaded in a soft voice, while she silently prayed.

For a moment, Genrou looked at her as if he was having some internal debate with himself before he finally gave a sigh in exasperation. "Damn! Fine, fine, fine! You do whatever you want but DON'T blame me if you get into trouble," he said, finally giving in.

Kayla cheered and without thinking, she jumped up to Genrou and gave him a hug in gratitude.

Genrou was too stunned to react. He just stood there rigidly while the boy hugged him. Was it just him? Or was it getting a little hot all of a sudden?

Kayla quickly realized her mistake and instantly jumped back as if she was burned. _What were you thinking Kayla! He's probably thinking that you're some kind of freak for hugging him like that! Dear God, this is embarrassing!_ She mentally scolded herself for being so foolish as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Luckily Genrou didn't seemed too offended and seemed to act as if nothing happened, something that she could only be thankful for.

She gave him a small sheepish smile. "Umm... Sorry, I guess I got a little too excited, hehe... But thank you for letting me to come along and don't worry, I'll stay out of your way if that's you want," she said gratefully.

Genrou came out of his stupor and shook his head. "Whatever," he grumbled.

Kayla gave him a look of amusement in his attitude. "Oh com'on Genrou, you'll never know. We might be able to keep each other company. Besides, _someone_ has to make sure you don't break your promise to me about no drinking sake," she replied teasingly, hoping to drown away to awkwardness.

It worked.

Genrou groaned, "I was hoping you will forget about that," he complained.

"Nope, I said two months no drinking sake and I am intending on making sure you keep your promise," she said with a smirk.

"Shit!"

Kayla laughed a little and looked up at the stars. She silently thanked Suzaku for giving her this chance to find her own way in life. Maybe, just maybe... she would find what she was looking for even though she had no idea of what it could be at the moment. She was bursting with excitement, never minded the fact that it was now very late at night. "Well, I better start packing if we're leaving early tomorrow," she said enthusiastically before she started to head back inside. However before she went in, she turned around again to face him curiously.

"Hey Genrou," she called.

"What now?" Genrou answered, turning to her.

"Not much, I was just wondering what I should call you now? Should I continue to call you Genrou or should I call you Tasuki from now on?" she asked, her eyes showing the sincerity that she really did want to know.

Genrou was surprised, he had not really thought of that before. He paused for a moment before answering. "Call me Tasuki, it's my real name. Genrou was just a name that I earned when I joined the Leikaku bandits."

Kayla nodded and smiled. "Well goodnight... Tasuki, I'll see you in the morning then." And that said, she turned to head back inside. _Tasuki_ she thought the name over in her head,_ I think I could get use to it. It does seem to suit him more for some reason. _With that thought in her mind, she went back inside to pack.

Tasuki watched Kayla walked back inside. His little discussion with Kayla had worked out better than he had thought... except for the fact that he had NOT been expecting the boy to come with him as well. He still didn't want him to go. The journey was going to be dangerous and he honestly wouldn't want the boy to get hurt despite the fact that he said he didn't care.

Even now he still couldn't understand why he said 'yes' to the boy's stupid idea to come along. All he knew that when Kayla looked at him with that pleading expression, his heart just got the better of him. He shook his head in annoyance. _I am getting soft, and I thought only Kouji falls for those damn, pleading tricks_ he thought with mild disgust.

Still, tonight he had seen another side of Kayla he rarely saw before. Kayla seemed almost carefree and genuinely happy when he had agreed for him to join him. Maybe there really was more to Kayla than meets the eyes. _Who knows? It's like the boy has a split personality. One moment he's nice and passive and then the next moment, he's annoying and will practically beat the crap out of ya if you pissed him off. He is definitely one strange boy_ he thought amusedly, wondering just what other sides of Kayla he had yet to see.

It was somewhat of a nice change from the reckless and stubborn boy nevertheless. Now that he thought about it, Kayla had always seemed bothered by something, but would never revealed what it could be. He was tempted to press him for answers. However, he did made a promise to Kayla that he would not push him anymore until he was ready and when Tasuki, a Suzaku Seishi made a promise, he would keep it.

Tasuki groaned at the thought of keeping promises. _Making_ promises was easy, but _keeping_ them was tricky, especially when it involved laying off sake. How the hell was he going to survive without sake for two fucking months?

While he continued contemplating about the boy, he headed back inside. He was already packed for the journey. All that traveling he had done in the past had made him experienced in packing all the necessities he needed in a short amount of time. It was going to be a long journey and he intended to get as much sleep as possible because he had a feeling he was going to need it… especially now that a certain annoying yet amusingly strange boy would be accompanying him.

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Kayla cried in frustration as she brought her hand up to her forehead with her eyes tightly closed to ward off an oncoming headache. 

"WHAT?" Tasuki sneered back, knowing exactly what was about to come next out of the boy.

"I can't believe we're lost! And thanks to _you,_ Tasuki!" She exclaimed, the heavy sarcasm evident in her voice.

"Hey! What the hell is that suppose to mean! It's not like I _wanted_ this to happen too you know!" Tasuki defended as he tried to decide which direction to take as they stood by a route that led to two opposite pathways.

"Well, then you shouldn't have acted as if you actually knew the way _Suzaku Seishi_!" Kayla continued, agitation growing by the second as she waited for him to decide which direction to take. Although she was almost certain that they were going to make a wrong decision _again_. She would have led the way instead, but unfortunately she had no idea where that village was. At least _she_ had the decency to know when she didn't know her directions.

"Just because I'm a Suzaku Seishi, that doesn't mean I have a fucking sixth sense of direction!" Tasuki retorted back and began to walk again, deciding to take the left route.

Kayla sighed, but followed him nevertheless. They have been walking for almost two days already and still they had no luck in finding Miaka. The village that they knew their friends were heading for was harder to find than expected.

Kayla knew, in truth that she shouldn't put all the blame on Tasuki, especially since she didn't even know the directions herself. Yet, the sky was getting darker and she was getting hungrier, not to mention, exhausted from their traveling. She just felt like venting out her frustration on someone and unfortunately the only other person around was Tasuki.

She wasn't in the mood in spending another night sleeping in the forest. She practically spent the whole night falling asleep, only to wake up to every strange noise she heard in the forest (which was too often). All in all, she did NOT have a good sleep. She slept in the streets before, but she still wasn't used to sleeping in the forest at night. Tasuki on the other hand, slept like a rock (which only annoyed her a bit more). Therefore, he was restful and energetic in the morning while she was restless and exhausted. Can people honestly blame her if she was a bit _moody_? She was quite certain she looked like the walking dead right now.

She sighed again louder, allowing Tasuki to hear her even though he was a couple of steps ahead of her. "Kayla, would you like to lead?" Tasuki offered, obviously mocking her with a sarcastic tone.

"No, why?" Kayla responded wryly.

"Well, then would you mind to stop sighing so much! It's getting fucking annoying! And besides no one told ya to come along! You could go back if you don't like it you know!"

That sent Kayla off to the edge. "I didn't expect that you would get us lost! If I know that this would happen, I would have stayed at the stronghold you BAKA!" Kayla yelled back angrily.

"Feh... Well now you know, and what are _you_ going to do about it huh?" Tasuki taunted, obviously enjoying himself as he watched Kayla's fuming expression.

"Why don't you come over here and find out yourself!" Kayla challenged.

"Che... forget it man, it's not like you can _actually_ hurt me or something..." Tasuki paused and smirked evilly. "Especially when you fight like a girl too!" he baited as he turned his back towards Kayla in a haughty fashion.

Once he turned his back, Kayla hit him at the back of his head as payback especially for his last comment. "You BAKA!"

"Ouch! Who the fuck are you calling a 'baka,' you **FREAK**!"

"**You,** **BAKA**! And stop calling me a freak!"

"You're the one who started this damn name calling first you little **RUNT**!"

"**BAKA**!"

"**RUNT**!"

* * *

**Authors' Notes:**

Cancer: (Drops dead on the floor and falls unconscious)

Gemini: OMG Cancer! Are you alright, can you breathe! Hold on, I'll rescue you! (Prepares to do a CPR for Cancer).

Cancer: (As Gemini's mouth comes closer to Cancer's, she suddenly opens her eyes and punches Gemini in her nose!)

Gemini: OUCH! (Covers her nose with her hand). WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR!

Cancer: HELLLLLO! I SHOULD BE THE ONE TO ASK YOU THAT YOU HENTAI! WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO DO TO ME HUH?

Gemini: WHAT THE ! I WAS JUST TRYING TO SAVE YA U FREAKING LOSER!

Cancer: Save me? SAVE ME? WERE YOU TRYING TO SAVE ME OR WERE YOU TRYING TO **_KISS_** ME YOU HENTAI?

Gemini: (Steams are coming out of her head). Just in case you haven't notice, but you've fainted a second ago and I was about to give you a CPR!

Cancer: (Arches an eyebrow) I DID?

Gemini: (Narrows her eyes and gives Cancer a death glare) And just in case you don't have a clue of what a CPR is, it stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, and it consists of mouth-to-mouth respiration and chest compression. CPR allows oxygenated blood to circulate to vital organs such as the brain and heart. CPR can keep a person alive until more advanced procedures such as defibrillation - an electric shock to the chest, and can treat the cardiac arrest. CPR started by a bystander doubles the likelihood of survival for victims of cardiac arrest!

Cancer: (Sweatdrops) Uh... Oops! I'm sorry, I guess I was too exhausted from proofreading our story and I happened to black out, and I thought you were about to kis... Ahem, um... is your nose okay Gemini!

Gemini: (Puts down her hand)

Cancer: (Blinks repeatedly and swallows hard)

Gemini: WHAT?

Cancer: Nothing, nothing! You're fine, you're cool and you're sweet... (Steps further away from Gemini as she speaks)... but YOU'RE BLEEDING! (Quickly runs to her room and locks the door up and blocks it with her bookshelf).

Gemini: (Touches her nose and finds herself bleeding heavily) OMG, I'M BLEEDING! HELP! CALL THE AMBULANCE FOR ME! I'M GONNA DIE! SOMEONE HELP!

So, what do you guys think about this chapter! That's right, Kayla just joined Genrou... Ahem, sorry, I mean 'Tasuki' in his journey, and what kind of dangers will they encounter as they searched for Miaka? Will they manage to get along during their adventure or will their relationship only gets worse? In order to find out what will happen to the two of them, please stay tune for the next chapter, and see ya for now! Oh, one more thing, don't forget to **REVIEW**!


	12. Being Lost

Gemini: (Looks at Cancer, expecting something from her)

Cancer: (Stares at the wall while she's munching on her popcorns)

Gemini: (Beginning to get annoyed and starts glaring at Cancer)

Cancer: (Still starring at the wall while she's munching on her popcorns louder and louder)

Gemini: THAT'S IT!! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!! 

Cancer: (Looks at Gemini innocently with the bowl of popcorns that never leaves her hands) Yes Gemini?!?! What can I do for you?!?!

Gemini: SAY IT!! AND SAY IT NOW!!!

Cancer: (Blinks at Gemini while she shovels a handful of popcorns into her mouth) Sai wha??? HEY next time, try to get the popcorn with the cheese flavour. I heard it tastes better than the butter ones!!!

Gemini: GRRRRRRRR!!!

Cancer: Oh were you saying something to me earlier?!?! What was that again?!?!

Gemini: (Steams are coming out of her head) THE DISCLAIMER YOU BAKA!!!

Cancer: (Stops eating and thinks for a moment).... Ah, right!! The DISCLAIMERS huh??? KOOL!! Hold on for a minute plz....... Ah, here it is:

**Disclaimers:** Twin Girls does not own Fushigi Yuugi, it was really created by** Yuu Watase and other related companies.**

Cancer: There, perfect BABY!!! (Continues to stare at the wall while finishing off the last few pieces of popcorns in the bowl)

Gemini: (Pops down besides Cancer and steals the very very last piece of popcorn from Cancer) What the heck are you starring at anyways?!?!

Cancer: I'm just wondering...........coz an idea just popped up in my mind.............

Gemini: (Sits up straight and her eyes are widen) REALLY?!?! YOU HAVE AN IDEA?!? OK, don't tell me! LET ME GUESS HERE!!!.... Does that idea has something to do with Kayla's identity?? Oh I know, you have an idea of how Tasuki will reveal Kayla's true gender isn't it?!?! Or is it the romance between both of them?!?! Which one is it?!?! TELL ME TELL ME!!!

Cancer: (Blinks at Gemini) What are you talking about?!?! I never said I have an idea for our story.

Gemini: BUT YOU SAID YOU HAVE AN IDEA THOUGH!!!

Cancer: Well.....yea, but not for our story

Gemini: THEN WHAT THE HECK IS IT?!?!

Cancer: (Stares back at the wall) I'm just wondering, I think it's about time for us to re-paint our living-room......do you like light green or lavender?!?! I personally prefer baby blue though, what do you think Gemini???

Gemini: (Sweatdrops)!!! 

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**Chapter 12: Being Lost**

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"State your report" a cold voice stated calmly. However one could not deny the authority and power that the voice contained lying beneath its calm exterior.  

It was a simple command yet the assassin shook violently as he kneeled before the blond-haired shogun that made the command. He, himself was a trained assassin, but next to shogun he was only considered as a mere puppy. He knew he had failed the shogun in his mission. If he wasn't careful, he was going to suffer a fate worth than death. Nakago was also known as one of the most powerful Seiryuu Seishi and was not given the reputation of being cold and ruthless for nothing.

"N.... Nakago-sama" he sputtered addressing the shogun before him, trying to maintain his fear but was doing a poor job of it. "Like you had commanded I followed the Suzaku no Miko and her other two Suzaku Seishi in their journey. I... I made an attempt to kill the Miko when she was separated from her Seishi but_"

"But you failed" Nakago stated flatly, finishing the sentence for him. 

The assassin winced at the harsh unfeeling tone of his voice. "Forgive me Nakago-sama, I...I will not fail next time." 

"Who said there will be next time" the blond-haired shogun lips curled into a malicious grin as he seemed to find the man's fear amusing. 

The assassin eyes widen in horror at the meaning behind Nakago's words. "Please it wasn't my fault!" he pleaded in a sorry attempt to save his own skin. "I would have succeeded in killing the Miko if it wasn't for that boy_" 

"Boy?" Nakago's tone of voice was the only indication showing that he was interested in this new development of information while his expression continued to reveal nothing.

The assassin nodded vigorously hoping that by giving this new information, it would at least get him out of trouble. "Yes, a boy about the age of 16 or so, with long dark hair. Despite his tiny appearance, he is a strong fighter and turn out to be another one of those Suzaku Seishi. He is the one who stopped me from succeeding in killing the Miko."       

_Isn't this an interesting change in event? Nakago mused silently as he turned from the pathetic so-called assassin. So the Miko managed to find another Seishi. He wasn't surprise by this, in fact, he already predicted that she would eventually find them all... __if of course the journey didn't kill her first. Even if the Miko whom he already met once, had managed to succeed in gathering all of her Seishi, he still had no need to worry. _

The Suzaku Seishi, Tamahome was still being detained here in Kutou thanks to Yui-sama's ignorance. The Suzaku Seishi's determination to protect his family from the upcoming war with Kutou was the only thing preventing him from trying to escape. _Very noble indeed, but stupid at the same time._

Along with this, another plan was being put into play if everything else failed. He was never once without a plan under all circumstances. All it required was a little patience to form a faultless strategy. 

"If there isn't anything else Nakago-sama, I would take my leave now" assassin spoke out bringing Nakago out of his thoughts. He was eager to leave the shogun before he changed his mind in letting him go. The assassin was about the leave, however fate had other plans.

"I never said that you were free to go" Nakago stated simply, stopping the assassin dead in his tracks. 

"B...but I_" 

"You had made two vital mistakes in your mission" Nakago's voice cut into the assassin's sputtering. "First, you had made an assassination attempt on the Suzaku no Miko when I had ordered no such thing but only for you to follow her. Further more, you failed in killing her because of some boy" his words were cold and harsh. "Second, you had forgotten one important thing. '_Never', ever assume that I will accept any failures in my army." _

The assassin whimpered in despair in which Nakago only watched emotionlessly at the cowering form before him. He ordered the guards to take the pathetic excuse of an assassin away, decided to deal with him later. He had more important matters to attend to. 

He made his way efficiently out of one of the rooms of the Kutou's palace and towards the room where the Seiyruu no Miko would be. He ignored the startled gasps from the guards as he past by them. It was a reaction that occurred often, and almost about everyone feared of him, just in the way he preferred it. 

To everyone, Nakago was an enigma. Mysterious and dangerous all at the same time. Everything about him was cold starting with his rare appearance of his cold blue eyes, light blond hair and the paleness of his skin. He had a rare beauty, which came with the intelligence that surpassed many. He was well known not only of his manipulative strategies but of his ruthlessness as well. He was perfect in almost every way. Perhaps to some, his only flaw was the emotionless expression he would so often displayed to the world or the past that he kept hidden within himself.

_Everything is going according to plan he thought with satisfaction. The Suzaku no Miko's friend, Yui-sama was too occupied with her own self-pity and anger that she trusted him completely. She was trapped in his own web of manipulations that she, herself was too blinded to see. __Goes to show how far truly the bonds of friendship can go. If he could so easily manipulate a girl to turn against her own best friend, then friendship was a very weak asset that one could do without. _

Soon, very soon, his own plans for revenge would go accordingly. Even if the Suzaku no Miko managed to find another Seishi now, from what the assassin had told him, this Seishi may be a good fighter but not a major setback in his plans. Like many, everyone had their own weaknesses including a Seishi. 

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"Finally we made it!" Kayla cried in relief as she stood before the village entrance. "See I told you we'll find it." Tasuki spoke in an 'I-told-you-so' sort of manner as he stood beside Kayla, giving her a triumphant grin. 

"Yeah after we spent just about two days getting here. You said that it was suppose to take us only '_one' day instead!" Kayla stated sarcastically. "Really, why did I let you lead? We should have brought a map but noooo.... '__You' said we don't need it because you know the mountains like the back of your hand!"_

"Hey that damn route was suppose to be a shortcut, I never taken it before, how was I suppose to know that it would turn out to be so f*cking complicated. Besides I got us here didn't I! So stop ya complaining already" Tasuki defended with a smirk folding his arms. 

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Just '_barely'" she muttered under her breath. "Come on, let's go find Miaka and the others. That is '__if' they hadn't left already". With that, Kayla headed towards the entrance of the village followed by a slightly annoyed Tasuki. Not that she cared anyway. _

The village was small and because it was night time, the streets were empty as if people had retired into the night. However, the village had an empty feeling to it that Kayla couldn't really explain. It felt as if this village had once suffered a crisis and now it was experiencing the aftermath of it. Kayla felt goosebumps on her arms. She couldn't be sure if it was whether because of the uneasy sensation or from the chill in the night. "Are you sure this is the right place Tasuki?" She asked uncertainly.

"Of course I'm sure!" Tasuki confirmed as he looked around the deserted streets as well. Then he spotted a 'Doctor' sign on one of the homes. "Let's just go ask someone here and see if they've seen Miaka and the others before we have to search the whole damn village for them" he instructed before heading towards the house with the sign without waiting for Kayla's response.

Kayla sighed and followed him, not really wanting to argue. The doctor's house was old and a little shabby, but it was a little better than some of the other houses they had seen in the village. They knocked on the door and waited. And waited. And.... waited. Kayla was about to knock again when the door opened and revealed a man who was about in his mid-fifties or so. 

"Hello can I help you?" the man asked surprised to see two young men outside his doorsteps. "Umm... hello, are you the doctor?" Kayla asked uncertainly. The man nodded and frowned "What are you two men doing out here so late at night? Are you sick?"

"What?! Are you blind?! Of course we're not sick! We-" Kayla quickly covered Tasuki's mouth to stop him from speaking and gave him a warning glare. If this doctor knew anything about Miaka and the others, it would be best if Tasuki don't open his big mouth and anger him. "Don't mind my friend here, hehe. He's just a little tired from our long journey" Kayla quickly explained to the doctor while still holding Tasuki's mouth much to his annoyance. However, luckily Tasuki finally calmed down after getting the message and Kayla let him go. 

The doctor regarded them strangely but decided that they were harmless enough. "Dear, who's at the door?" a women's voice was heard from inside the house. "Just two men passing by" answered the man. 

A short, plump gentle-faced woman about in her late-forties appeared in the doorway. "Oh my" the woman (most likely the doctor's wife) exclaimed as she saw the two men. "Can we help you?" she asked wondering why these two men would be out so late in the night. 

"Well actually yes" Kayla answered. "We just wanted to ask you some questions concerning the whereabouts of our friends." Then all of a sudden, Kayla sneezed; the cold night air was starting to get to her. The doctor's wife gasped when she heard her sneezed. "Well why don't you two come in first and warm up?" she suggested. "Really Roshi, you should let them in first instead of letting them freeze in this cold night." She scolded her husband. Roshi just chuckled softly. 

Kayla gave Tasuki a hesitant look not knowing whether to go in or not. Tasuki just shrugged and went in. She followed him inside and was greeted with a small yet cozy room with a table. There was a strong aroma of medical herbs no doubt belonging to the doctor. "Here" the wife spoke pouring them some tea while they sat by the table. Kayla accepted gratefully, savouring its warmth. She took a glance at Tasuki finding him surveying their surroundings. 

"Thank you, by the way my name is Kayla" Kayla spoke with a smile and pointed at Tasuki "And this is-" "Genrou" interrupted Tasuki, giving Kayla a look indicated that he didn't want his identity as a Suzaku Seishi to be revealed just yet. Kayla looked at him a little confused but said nothing.

"It's nice to meet you both, now, you have some questions about some friends of yours?" Roshi asked sitting across from them. His wife also listened as well. "Well yes you see, we were wondering if you had seen them" Kayla explained and gave them a detailed description of Miaka, Nuriko and Hotohori. When she was done, Roshi rubbed his chin in thought. "I do recall a girl with strange clothing along with two other men who fits your descriptions" he said thoughtfully.

Kayla perked up at the possibility while Tasuki listened intently as well. "However, when I saw the girl- Miaka you said that's her name right, has been very sick. Unfortunately, she has caught a disease that was spreading across the village during the time. That was why they came to me, they wanted me to cure her" Roshi explained. 

"Miaka's sick? Did you cure her? Is she okay now?" Kayla asked worriedly. From what the doctor said, Miaka's condition seemed to be very serious. To her disappointment, Roshi shook his head "I wasn't able to help her, the disease is deadly and I didn't have the proper medicine nor enough knowledge about this disease to treat it but-"

"What?! What kind of a damn doctor are you?! You just can't freakin' leave someone who's sick and say you're too stupid to help them!!" Tasuki exploded furiously interrupting the doctor. Kayla abruptly kicked him underneath the table. "Ow! What the hell are you doing?!" Tasuki cried angrily and glared at her. 

Kayla glared back. "Stop interrupting and let him finish!" she argued. She turned back to the doctor, ignoring Tasuki's death glare. "I'm sorry for my friend, he's a bit irrational at times." She apologized to him. 

"Look who's talking" Tasuki muttered under his breath and was rewarded with another kick under the table. Roshi chuckled lightly again. "It's quite alright, I don't blame your friend for being angry, and this Miaka is your friend after all. However as I was saying, I couldn't cure her of this disease so I directed her and her friends to another doctor named Myojuan, a strange man but a gifted healer from what I've heard" 

"Do you know if she's okay now or if they're still here in the village?"

"Hard to say, I never saw them again afterwards but I could safely say that they had already left this place since I don't see them in the village anymore, this is a small place after all. However its strange" the doctor answered thoughtfully. 

"What is?" Kayla asked.

"Well shortly after your friends left, the disease that had been plaguing this village started to diminish as well. The disease had been here for awhile and had killed many people here before your friends arrived."

"Any idea where they had went afterwards" Tasuki spoke up for the first time since his last outburst. 

"Possibly heading towards south since that's where the next nearest village is"

"Then that's where we're heading" Tasuki confirmed. "Well let's go then" Kayla urged and began to stand up. However before she could, Tasuki stopped her. "Slow down Kayla, it's too freakin' late to travel any further now. We can start again tomorrow morning" Tasuki pointed out. 

Kayla was about to protest but stopped herself. She knew that Tasuki had a point as much as she hated to admit it. She guessed when it comes to travelling, he does have more experience than she did, but there was still one more problem. "Where are we going to stay for the night?" she asked voicing her thoughts.

Tasuki paused for a moment. He hadn't really thought about it. "The outdoors I guess, it's not like we haven't done it before" he answered with a shrug.

Kayla groaned tiredly. Look like it was going to be another sleepless night for her.

Genrou noticed Kayla's reaction and frowned. It wasn't like he, himself really enjoyed sleeping outdoors either. For some reason, the weather had been pretty cold especially during these few nights when he and Kayla camped outside. But what else could they do, it was not like there was an inn around here or something in which they could spend the night in anyway.

Then, as if Suzaku, himself had heard their silent prayer, the doctor's wife spoke out. "Nonsense, you two boys can stay here for the night!" she offered while her husband nodded in agreement. Kayla looked at her surprised. "We... we wouldn't want to impose-" 

But the wife waved her hand, cutting her off. "It won't be a problem, this is a small house but it's only me and my husband here. Our only daughter had already married and moved away so there is room. Honestly, I'm not about to let a couple of young boys like yourselves freeze outside in the cold night like tonight, especially for a thin and pale boy like yourself," she confirmed shaking her head disapprovingly as she eyed Kayla's small framed appearance. It wasn't really a harsh criticism but more of comment out of maternal instincts of a woman. 

Tasuki laughed out loud at the woman's comment to Kayla's frail looks. "Hehe, I know what you mean lady, I mean Kayla is just a runt compared to a strong man like myself" he taunted unable to resist the urge to tease Kayla once more. Kayla gave him a slap on the head, silently daring him to say anymore. Tasuki got the message and quiet down but one could see the smirk playing on his lips. Kayla ignored him and smiled back at the woman gratefully. "Thank you then, it's really kind of you". 

Roshi grinned, "My wife may be fussy but she has a good heart" he replied fondly. His wife gave him a smile before turning back to Kayla. "I'll go prepare your room now, I hope you two don't mind sharing a room since we only have two bedrooms. One is for my husband and I and the other one used to belong to our daughter but now we use as a spare room"

Kayla froze. _Sh.... share a room? With Tasuki?!?! She thought with warning bells ringing alarmingly in her head. She looked nervously at Tasuki. He didn't seem bothered at the fact in sharing a room with her but then again he still thought that she was a man while she knew otherwise!! Camping out with him outdoors in the night had been okay for there were plenty of spaces between the two of them. However, being confined in a room alone with '__him' was a totally different matter!!_

_Oh kami-sama, this is going to be so awkward for me!! She thought distressfully unknowingly that Roshi was watching her curiously. "Is there something wrong Kayla-san?" he asked noticing her discomfort. Kayla shook her head immediately refusing to let him see her uneasiness. It would be suspicious and she didn't want to offend the man for his generosity. "It's nothing, don't worry" She assured pasting a smile on her face. She didn't have a choice, she would just have to be more careful and keep her distance from Tasuki. How hard can it be?_

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Kayla felt her whole face flushed in embarrassment and was only thankful that no one noticed or specifically, Tasuki didn't noticed. 

There was a problem, a very big problem to Kayla. The room that she and Tasuki were staying in was nice enough, tidy and clean. Better than she expected actually. The only problem was.... there was only one bed! There was no way in hell was she going to share a bed with him! She told herself to be careful around Tasuki and she was determined to follow her own advice. 

Even '_if' she didn't mind sharing the bed, the bed was still not big enough for the both of them anyways. So now came the dilemma of who actually gets the bed for the night and who would have to sleep on the floor. Neither she nor Tasuki liked the idea of the floor so now they had to argue for the bed._

"I am not sleeping on some freakin' floor on this cold night, you sleep there" Tasuki argued while sitting on the bed refusing to move. 

Kayla glared at him; feeling very tempted to just jump on the bed and kicked the ignorant baka to the floor. "Me?! Why can't you sleep on the floor?! You can at least be nice and let me have the bed for the night. It's your fault that I'm so tired in the first place!" she argued back.

Tasuki just smirked never moving from his position on the bed. "Who said I had to be nice to you Kayla? Besides I am older than you, so I should get the bed" he defended. 

"That's a stupid reason of why _'you' should get it. Besides, you're only one year older than I am!" Kayla almost shouted out loud angrily but remembered to lower her voice so that the doctor and his wife couldn't hear their argument. _

"Details, details, it doesn't matter either way, I'm still older" Tasuki replied nonchalantly obviously enjoying the fact that he was pissing her off again.

"Gah! That's it Tasuki! Get off the bed now!" Kayla exploded, she was tired and she was cranky! All she wanted was to go to sleep, preferably somewhere warm, but that baka just have to be so selfish! 

"Tell you what, we're obviously getting nowhere here arguing. Let's just settle this with a match, whoever wins gets the bed, deal?" Tasuki suggested with a smirk as he stood up from the bed. Kayla looked at him suspiciously. "What do you have in mind?" she asked slowly, half-expecting him to suggest something like arm-wrestling or something. 

"Something simple, Rock, Paper, Scissors. What you say? Are you up for it?" Tasuki answered folding his arms waiting for her answer. 

Kayla blinked "Rock, Paper, Scissors?" It wasn't what she had expected at all, however.... _it does seem fair enough I guess she thought before she nodded "Fine, all or nothing. If I win I get the bed, if I lose then I get the floor" she confirmed as she brought out her hand into position._

"Fine then on the count of three" Genrou agreed getting ready as well "1..... 2..... 3..... "

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_I knew I 'should' have used scissors! Kayla scolded herself silently as she laid on the ground with a thin blanket provided by the doctor and his wife. Beside her on the bed laid Tasuki most likely asleep by now. It was almost like he had planned this, that he was confident that he would win. But that couldn't be possible, could it? _

Kayla glared at Tasuki's lying figure on the bed, which was pointless considering he was asleep and it was dark in the room. The only light was the one provided from the moonlight shining from the window casting a soft glow in the room. Cautiously Kayla propped herself up with her elbows and looked at Tasuki, whose back was facing towards her. "Tasuki, Tasuki? Are you asleep" she whispered softly still feeling somewhat nervous in sleeping in the same room with him.

As if in response, Tasuki let out a soft snore and a slow, even breathing followed after indicating that he was indeed asleep. Kayla sighed and laid back down on the floor. She shivered a little as she felt a slight chill and wrapped the blanket more tightly to herself. Even though they were indoors, it was still a little cold. A_t least it's better than sleeping outdoors she thought trying to think more positively as she felt her eyes grew heavier. She was growing more tired as the restless traveling and sleepless nights had finally caught up to her._

_I wonder if I'll ever find what I'm looking for? She thought half-consciously before she fell asleep. Somewhere near the back of her subconscious mind, an answer was given to her question but then withdrew again from her conscious and was completely forgotten shortly afterwards as if it had never been there. _

_Maybe.... maybe I had found it already...._

_   _

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Kayla walked in the darkness; it was so dark, so black. There was nothing... nothing at all. Not even the sound of her footsteps as she walked along. "Hello? Is there anybody here?!" Kayla yelled, an edge of fear in her voice. There was no answer, not even an echo of her own voice. _Am I alone again? Please no! I don't want to be alone! Kayla felt herself on the verge of panic. __Out! Let me out! I don't want to be here! Let me out! She began to run; she didn't know which direction to go. She just knew she had to get out of this endless void of darkness!_

Then a small light appeared out of nowhere. Seeing nowhere else to go, she ran towards it hoping that it would be the exit. The light was closer however it seemed like it was getting further at the same time. It made no sense. Just when she thought that she would never reached the light, she was suddenly there! The darkness was now gone and she was bathe in the light. She realized for the first time that she was once again dressed as a girl, yet for some reason she didn't find the fact odd or anything. _Where am I now? She surveyed her surroundings and found herself standing by a cliff. Kayla instantly backed away from the cliff trying to ignore the never-ending depth that it led to. _

"Kayla!" Kayla turned again. Who was calling her? "Who are you?" Kayla cried out, the voice seemed so close yet so far away at the same time. Then she saw them. Her parents, both of her mother and father were standing a few feet away looking back at her smiling. However she could still see the sadness in their eyes and they gazed back at her. "Otosan, Okasan" she spoke softly almost afraid to speak out loud for the fear that they would leave her again if she did. She started to walk towards them. _Just a little closer and then we can be family again she thought with a slight surge of hope and warmth that she hadn't felt in a long time._

All of sudden, something grabbed her from behind in a strong grip. Kayla gasped and turned. To her horror, she found both of her aunt and her uncle were holding her back and pulling her away. Away from her parents! 

"No! Let me go! Otosan, Okasan! Help me!" She cried despairingly trying to reach for her parents and struggling to get free. But her parents only watched her seemingly just as helpless as she was. She struggled harder but only succeeded in having her aunt and uncle's grip on her grew tighter. So tight that it dug deeply into her flesh causing her to cry out in pain. 

"No stop! Let me go" she cried as she realized that they were pulling her closer and closer towards the end of the cliff. Slowly her aunt leaned down towards her ear. "Like I said, you are going to pay even if it costs you your life" she hissed venomously and with one forceful push, she pushed Kayla off the cliff. Kayla screamed as she fell down towards the darkness. 

Just when she thought that she would fall forever, she felt something or someone caught her hand. She looked up and saw a hand holding onto her in a firm hold. She couldn't make out the owner of the hand from the blinding light in her vision. "Please don't let me go!" she cried as she clung desperately to her saviour's hand. It was the only thing that was holding her from falling into the total darkness.

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Tasuki woke up with a startled and bolted up from the bed, his mind was still a little hazy from his awakening. He realized that it was still dark as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Judging from the sky from the window, there was still a few more hours before dawn arrive. 

_Why the hell did I wake up? Tasuki thought feeling a little irritated. It had never really happened before, usually he was a heavy sleeper and could practically sleep throughout the whole night without waking up like this time. He was about to lie back down to go back to sleep when he noticed Kayla's sleeping figure on the floor. The boy seemed a little restless as Tasuki watched him squirmed slightly in his sleep. He wanted to ignore it and just go back to sleep but a soft whimper escaped from the boy's lips making him seemed like a helpless child. _

Against his better judgment, he got up from the bed and kneeled down on the ground beside Kayla to check on him. He found Kayla was covered with sweat; his head was turning from side to side restlessly. Another whimper came from Kayla and Tasuki found himself wondering what was wrong.

"No! Let me go! Otosan, Okasan help me!" Kayla cried out softly in his sleep. Tasuki eyes widened in realization _He's dreaming about his parents he continued to watch Kayla's expression marred with a look of pure agony. Unable to hold himself back any longer, Tasuki reached down and shook Kayla on the shoulders, attempting to wake him up from his nightmare. However Kayla didn't wake up. In fact, Kayla began squirming harder and more violently, his breathing was becoming more uneven. Then all of a sudden, Kayla's hand caught the hand that Tasuki was using to wake him up in a firm hold. It caught Tasuki off guard but couldn't get Kayla to let go of his hand. For some reason, he felt as if he didn't want him to let go either. _

"Please.... don't let me.... go" Kayla spoke out again in between short and uneven gasps of breath. His voice was urgent and desperate. Watching Kayla's mental pain was causing another twist in Tasuki's heart yet he couldn't understand why. Kayla began struggling even more violently, his hold on his hand tightened in a desperate grip. 

_The baka is going to hurt himself if he doesn't wake up! Tasuki felt a hint of panic as he watched the boy. No longer bothering to be gentle, Tasuki used his other hand and took Kayla by the shoulders and started shaking him senselessly. "Kayla wake up!! Damn it, wake up!! You're dreaming!!" He ordered, suppressing the urgency he felt surging within him._

Kayla's eyes snapped open and bolted up, she found herself breathing unevenly. She was drenched in sweat and her heart beating furiously. _What.... what happened? For the moment, she had forgotten where she was, not even aware of the presence kneeling beside her. Therefore she was startled when the person beside her spoke. _

"Kuso! Kayla what the hell were you dreaming about? You sounded like you were about to die or something!" Her eyes startled eyes looked up to meet Tasuki's amber gaze, his eyes were intense with agitation, fear and.... worry? She couldn't think properly, her mind was still trying to process where she was, who this man beside her was and what he had said to her.   

_A..... a dream? It as all a dream she realized as the memories of her dreams came flooding back to her__. All the running,... my parents.... my aunt's words........ and....... the falling...... the hands holding me.... I was falling and I was alone. Oh Suzaku! I don't think I can take any more of this! She clasped her necklace tightly like before and began trembling uncontrollably. She hadn't had a dream like that for a long time, but now that it came back unexpectedly, it shook her more than ever to the very core of her soul. She didn't even bother to hide her vulnerability from the man beside her. She was too immersed with her own emotions to acknowledge it._

Tasuki was completely lost and confused as he watched Kayla trembling before him. Never had he had seen the boy so distressed and so shaken up. _And all because of some dream?! He looked down and realized that Kayla was still holding onto his hand tightly and by the looks of it he didn't seem to be letting go of it anytime soon. _

_Damn! What do I do now? He's just sitting there shaking like a leaf while I just sit here! I should be getting some freaking sleep now! Not here to comfort some boy from a nightmare! But this wasn't just some boy; this was Kayla and for some reason that made all the difference. He knew that as much as he wanted to leave the boy to his own problems, he knew that in his heart that he could never actually do it. __Kuso! I 'am' getting soft    _

Awkwardly, he brought his other hand up and began patting Kayla on the back attempting to comfort him. It was the only way he knew how. 

Kayla was surprised, when she felt a hand patting her back, but calmed down when she realized that it was just Tasuki. She made no protest but instead, unexpectedly she was actually grateful that he was just there with her. She didn't want to be alone. 

They remained like that for a long time, neither one of them was saying anything. Kayla felt herself slowly calmed down as she felt her trembling subsided. Then she gasped. She had been so immersed in her own thoughts that she hadn't acknowledge the fact that she had been holding Tasuki's hand the whole time! She instantly let go of his hand and mentally kicked herself for losing control. _I must have looked like a baka to him! She thought fearfully as she fought the unwanted blush on her face. _

"I.... I'm sorry," she stammered. "I must look so stupid now, it was just a stupid dream and... and I just snapped, I'm sorry I woke you up I....." she didn't know what else to say and turned so that her back was facing him. She was ashamed of her display for being so vulnerable and for being so transparent. She waited for Tasuki's crude comment to come, which she had been expecting it. However, it never came. She felt his hand on her shoulder and flinched a little.

"What was the dream about?" Kayla's head snapped back at what he said and turned to face him. Her eyes widened in shock. "Nani?" she uttered totally taken back by the question Tasuki had asked her.

At the same time, Tasuki was mentally whacking himself repeatedly in the head. _Baka, Baka, Baka.... Why the hell did I ask him that?! Kayla obviously is not going to tell me! Now he's going to get angry with me for sticking my damn nose into his business! He involuntarily shuddered; he really didn't feel like getting yelled at right now as he watched Kayla's blanked expression. "Forget it, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's none of my business and I promised I wouldn't pry" he quickly spoke before Kayla could say another word and abruptly stood up and headed towards the bed. _

Kayla was lost as Tasuki stood up. She had been taken off guard by Tasuki's question therefore she didn't reacted immediately. But now as she watched Tasuki headed back towards his bed, she just reacted out of impulse. 

"I was running" she blurted out and instantly stopped. 

_What am I doing?! She didn't know why she felt like speaking out now, but the fact that Tasuki had been there for her when she was in so much despair made her felt like she could trust him to not laugh at her when she tell him. She wasn't going to tell him everything of course, but just enough to let him to know the basics._

Tasuki stopped and was now looking back at her. He was surprised as well, yet made no attempt to interrupt her and sat back down beside her waiting expectantly.

Kayla took a deep breath and quietly prayed to Suzaku that she was not making a mistake. "It was dark, I couldn't see and I was alone... so I ran. I kept running until I saw this light and suddenly I was by a cliff and I...." She felt her voice began to choke as her emotion surged through her. _Kami-sama, this is so difficult... demo, I have to finish this...._

"You what?" Tasuki asked gently, silently encouraging her to go on.

"I saw my parents. I tried to go to them but then my aunt and uncle were holding me back. I couldn't escape, they were too overwhelming and they threw me off the cliff. However, a hand caught me and I was holding onto it. I didn't want to fall, I.... I..."

Kayla couldn't let go of that impending fear she had felt when she was woken up from that horrible dream. She shut her eyes to block off the pain. _It's just a dream, it's over, and they're gone. It's just a dream, it's just a dream.... she continued to chant to herself as a way to maintain her sanity. _

Tasuki didn't interrupt her, allowing her to gather enough strength to continue her story. "My mother died when I was very young and my father died after when I was only 11. I had to live with my only living relatives, my aunt and uncle along with my two older cousins. For five years, I had lived with them; I was forced into hard chores. They were all cruel to me, I never had enough to eat and my aunt and uncle would beat me. I couldn't take it anymore, I '_had' to run away and I had been hiding ever since" Kayla paused as she stared at her own hands as if she suddenly found something very interesting about it. She was afraid to look at him since she started talking about her past. She didn't know what he would think. She didn't want to see his reaction just yet._

She continued. "Every moment in those five years had been one terrible endless nightmare that still haunts me now. That.... that dream had been too much for me and I just snapped because I found myself being trapped again and I was falling" She fought back the tears she felt that were on the verge of falling. She had to remain strong, and she would NOT let them to fall, not in front of him, not now. 

As she spoke, Tasuki listened with barely contained rage. He didn't know why he felt so overprotective for Kayla all of a sudden. He just knew that he found it disgusting and cowardly for those people to pick on the boy for so long. _For five f*cking years! He thought angrily. No wonder Kayla had been so closed off like that especially when he first met him. Then a thought occurred to him and Tasuki gingerly took one of Kayla's arms and pulled up the boy's sleeve. _

Kayla was startled when he did that. "What...?!" 

"The scars" Tasuki interrupted Kayla's protest as he held his arm up to the pale moonlight showing the faint scars on Kayla's arm. "Were they caused by them?" all the usual sarcastic and humorous tone was gone. 

Kayla's eyes widened in surprised and pulled back her arm immediately. She pulled back down her sleeve to hide her scars from him. It was an initial reaction, and he surprised her from that unexpected question. However she nodded slowly confirming his suspicions.

Tasuki swore softly. "Kuso! Kayla you should have ran away sooner, just look at what they have done to you!" he exclaimed raising his voice louder than he intended.

"Do you actually think that I haven't tried to run away from them before?!" Kayla retorted defensively. "It took me on the third try to actually succeed!"  She wasn't really angry with him; she was just feeling a little edgy. Yet amazingly, her anxiety and despair wasn't as strong as before. The pain was still there, but the feeling was like a distance numbness she could put to the back of her mind instead of having it overwhelming her like before. 

She regarded Tasuki carefully, who grew quiet for a moment. She caught the angry tightening of his fists. _Why is he being so angry about all this? Kayla was confused. The only explanation she could come up with for his behaviour was because he cared for her well-beings as a friend should. __Could he actually care for me that much? Or maybe even more? No, that's just silly, he views me as a friend... nothing more, nothing less..._

"I can't believe they f*cking did that to you, are you sure you are actually related to those bastards!" his voice brought her back to reality preventing her thoughts from going any further. 

"I don't care if they were really related to me or not and it doesn't matter now. They are out of my life now and I am out of theirs. Whether they had any blood ties with me or not they had never treated me as if I was one of their own anyway" Kayla said with a hint of bitterness. 

"Still, if I ever cross paths with any of them, they'll be in one hell of a beating" Tasuki replied, his eyes flashed dangerously.

However Kayla shook her head in a disagreement. "Forget it, that would mean I would have to cross path with them again and that is something I would much rather avoid" Kayla stated calmly. Tasuki looked at her a little confused "I don't see how you can be so f*cking calm seeing that you just about had a nervous breakdown dreaming about them a moment ago." he muttered. 

Kayla looked at him in the eyes. She knew she was sounding unnaturally calm, but she reasoned with herself that she had to remain strong. She couldn't allow herself to be held back because of some dream.... no matter how much it hurt her or how much it reminded her of her painful memories. Besides.... whether he was aware of it or not, Tasuki had helped her with the pain, making it more bearable for her. "I had a little help... Thank you Tasuki... for everything" Kayla smiled, her very first since she had woken up. 

Tasuki shifted uncomfortably trying to ignore the warmth he felt on his face when Kayla smiled at him. _Why the hell am I blushing?! He hid his uneasiness with a cough. "Yeah well.... somebody had to calm you down or else you would have kept me up all night with your nightmares anyway. Frankly, I would rather like to get some sleep tonight." He stated simply sounding casual as if it was no big deal. "Well.... since you're okay now, I'm going back to sleep, so goodnight." With that said, he abruptly went back to his bed and laid down with his back facing Kayla. He covered himself with the blanket although he was still feeling a little warmth from before._

Kayla blinked curiously at Tasuki's cold behaviour. _Did I.... say something wrong? She thought confusedly. All she had done was thanked him for listening. She sighed. He was certainly one strange guy to understand or maybe it was a guy thing. How was she supposed to know? She may dress like a guy but that didn't mean she would think like them too.           _

She slowly laid back down on her makeshift bed on the floor. She meant it when she thanked him. She was grateful that he was there to listen to her (which still surprised her considering that this was Tasuki she was talking about). It was a burden off her shoulders and she was kind of relieved that she no longer had to hide '_all' of her secrets except for a few more which she still preferred to keep to herself. However the tension she felt between them had lessened more and she was gradually getting along better with him. They would still argue and fight as always, but it would be okay. _

She silently thanked him again and slowly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Tasuki turned around and watched Kayla's form breathing in perfect rhythm indicating that he was fast asleep. His thoughts drifted back to what Kayla revealed about himself and that protective feeling surged through him once again. The reason he could come up with for this unexpected feeling was that he had came to view Kayla as a close friend, maybe even as a brother he never had. But he would be damned if he let anyone know especially Kouji. He would never give him a moment of peace that's for sure. 

He thought back on how Kayla had unconsciously clutched his hand while dreaming, begging him not to let go. He shook the thought out of his head and proceeded to get some more sleep before the morning would come. 

_I'll never let go his heart silently vowed, but his mind never acknowledged this vow as he drifted to back to sleep._

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_"25 bottles of sake on the wall, 25 bottles of sake,_

_I take one down and drank it up, _

_24 bottles of sake on the wall._

_24 bottles of sake on the wall, 24 bottles......" _

"Tasuki!!!" Kayla spoke, her expression looked ready as if she was ready to kill the flame-haired baka beside her as they walked. 

"Yeah?" Tasuki stopped his singing and smirked at her, obviously enjoying his torture game he was playing on her. 

Kayla scowled at him "SHUT UP!! Stop singing that damn annoying song!" 

Tasuki pretended to look offended, "What's wrong with my singing? I thought it was a very good song to sing, I always sing it with my drinking buddies." he replied innocently (or as innocent as a fiery-haired bandit could get). 

"Well '_I' am NOT your drinking buddy, you have been singing since the '__100th bottle'!! So stop your singing now!!" Kayla hissed dangerously, however Tasuki didn't even flinch at her warning.    _

"Awww.... too bad Kayla, that's what you get for restricting me from sake" he taunted with unhidden glee. 

Kayla was on the verge of exploding. They had been walking for almost a full day now since they left the village. It was an uneventful journey until Tasuki decided to play the 'How-far-can-you-push-Kayla-before-he-explodes' game. Whatever nice guy Tasuki had been last night was certainly gone now. Now it was the same irritating Tasuki that constantly caused her blood to boil. Maybe it was a dream last night; maybe that nice and somewhat considerate Tasuki was just a creation from her mind. Kayla couldn't deny the possibility as she continued to shoot Tasuki with her glares and death threats. He was obviously doing this to her because he was bored but that didn't mean he had to irritate her for the fun of it!

She was about to teach the baka a painful lesson with a heavy branch that she had conveniently found on the ground when Tasuki stopped walking almost causing her to bump into him. "Tasuki, why the hell did you stop like that" she cried feeling irritated. 

"What do you think? We're here!" Tasuki answered simply, as if it was obvious and that she should have known. He pointed off into the distance. 

Kayla blinked "What....?" she looked at the direction that Tasuki was pointing at. Surely not too far ahead stood a village, bigger than the one they were at before. "Oh...." Kayla stood there a little stunned before she realized something. "You mean we actually 'didn't' get lost!" She exclaimed momentarily forgetting their argument from before. 

Tasuki snorted. "Of course! I did travel quite a lot before so I'm not that hopeless in directions" with that said, he headed towards the direction that led to the village up ahead. 

Kayla snapped out her stupor and followed him silently relieved that they found the place earlier than expected.

The busy streets greeted them when they entered the village. Unlike the last village, this village was filled with people everywhere doing chores, selling merchandises, buying clothes, foods and many more. It was certainly livelier and busy than they both expected. 

Kayla weaved herself in and out of the huge crowd while at the same time trying not to lose sight of Tasuki, which wasn't too hard since his fiery hair stood out in the crowd. However, it was hard to keep up to his pace as other people constantly bumped into her causing her to fall behind. "Hey Tasuki!" She called to him, hoping he would slow down. "Wait_" 

"Watch out!" a voice from out of nowhere cried out. Kayla turned and instantly something collided into her knocking her to the ground. She looked up just in time to see a man who knocked her down ran by carrying some boxes obviously in a hurry to get to wherever he was going. 

_He could at least apologize for knocking me down! She thought annoyingly as she stood back up brushing the dust off herself. She looked around for Tasuki but found that he was nowhere to be seen. She groaned.  _This is NOT good_. _How in the world can you lose a nearly six foot tall fiery-haired man in a crowd like this?! __

_Okay Kayla don't panic, Tasuki probably notice that you're not with him right now so he's probably looking for you she thought trying to control her fear. She stood by one of the stands away from the trampling crowd hoping that Tasuki would come to find her soon. She didn't want to get lost in a foreign place like this. It was probably better to stay where she was. She waited, watching the people passed by one by one, but still no Tasuki. _

_Where is he? She thought frustratingly. __He shouldn't be taking this long. Then a thought came to her. __He couldn't be in trouble could he? But she quickly banished that thought. Tasuki could be a baka most of the time but he was capable of taking care of himself. However despite her own reasoning, she couldn't help but to worry._

Kayla's whole body tensed up as an uneasy feeling washed over her. It was that feeling one would get when they sensed that they were being watched. Kayla looked around but couldn't find anything suspicious. She mentally scolded herself, she had to stop feeling so paranoid, but still.... 

All of sudden, something grabbed one of her shoulders. Kayla cried out in surprise and out of impulse, she elbowed her attacker in the gut hearing a satisfying grunt in pain. She turned to her attacker ready to defend herself or possibly run away if needed. She was met with a sight of a very pissed off Tasuki.... correction, a very pissed off and_ 'in pain' Tasuki who was holding his side where she had elbowed him. _

_Oops "Tasuki?" She asked surprised and a little embarrassed that she thought he was attacking her. However those feelings quickly shifted to annoyance. "What the hell were you doing scaring me like that!! I practically jumped three feet in the air thanks to you!"_

"What the hell am I doing?! What the hell were '_you' doing?!" Tasuki countered annoyingly. He had been looking for Kayla when he discovered that he was no longer with him. When he did find Kayla, he got elbowed in the gut! __Talk about being ungrateful he thought indignantly._

Kayla calmed herself down. She knew that she was wrong no matter what her excuse may be.  "I'm so sorry Tasuki, I thought you were some attacker"

"Well you obviously thought wrong" Tasuki grunted. 

"I'm sorry" Kayla apologized again, resisting the urge to smile. Despite her guilt, she was very relieved that he found her. Watching him bending over in pain, she frowned "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you '_that' bad, did I?"_

Tasuki quickly stood straight up again as if the pain had miraculously disappeared or as if it had never happened. "Of course not, takes more than a mere elbow in the gut to hurt me" he replied gruffly.

"Uh huh" Kayla answered amusedly, and she guessed she didn't hurt him that seriously. Maybe she wounded more of his pride instead. "Where were you?" she asked

"Looking for you, what did you think? I was going to find some inn where we could stay in for the night. But when I turned around, you were gone" he answered, a hint of annoyance still evident in his voice. He deliberately left out the details in how worried he was when he found Kayla missing and the relief that he felt when he found him. There was no way in hell he was going to reveal all that to him. What was the point in that?

Kayla smirked at his answer. "Awww.... Tasuki, I didn't know that you would care!" she replied teasingly, unable to help herself. 

Tasuki choked a little but quickly covered it with a cough. "Just what were you doing? You looked so damn tense before that you didn't even hear me calling your name!" he asked wanting to change the topic. 

Kayla's smirk vanished as she thought back to that feeling of how she was being watched or that she '_thought' she was being watched. Should she tell him? It was very possible that she was just being overly sensitive. "I thought....." she paused as she looked at Tasuki who was still waiting for her response. "It's nothing" she finished. She didn't want to make a big deal out of nothing._

"Are you sure?" Tasuki asked uncertainly. He didn't know how but he had a feeling that something was bothering the boy. Yet Kayla seemed determined to hide it from him again.

"Yes" Kayla confirmed. "So where are we staying for the night?" she asked quickly (maybe a little too quickly). 

Tasuki frowned a little but it was quickly covered with a smirk. "I found just the place, let's go already before the sun sets"

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_At least we got two beds this time Kayla thought as she surveyed the room she would be sharing with Tasuki. She would have preferred having separate rooms with him but having a room with two beds was cheaper in the inn than to have two separate rooms. It was something that they couldn't ignore with their limited budget and all. She still felt a little uncomfortable sharing a room with him, although the feeling wasn't as strong as before. _

_I guess having Tasuki, as a roommate wouldn't be so bad she reasoned with herself as she remembered the previous night. She had to admit if it weren't for him, she would possibly still be suffering from a mental breakdown. It really helped when he was there while she needed someone most. He never complained nor teased her about it. In fact, he acted as if it never had happened which was for the best. _

Kayla felt her face grew a little warmer as she remembered how she clutched onto his hand the whole time. _Kami-sama, I shouldn't have done that she thought uneasily__. I can only be thankful he didn't tease me about that either or else I wouldn't know how to explain it. She made her way to one of the beds and sat down. She looked around the room. The room was bare except for the required necessities like the beds, a table with two chairs, a wash cloth with a basin, a pitcher of water, etc, etc. _

"I wonder what's taking Tasuki so long?" she thought out loud. He left her in the room saying he was going to get them some food from the inn's dining hall. However that had been a while ago and she was getting tired of waiting. Deciding it would be better to go and look for him and see what was holding him up instead, she stood up from the bed and headed out of the room. She walked down the hallway towards the wooden stairs that would lead to the main floor where the dining hall would be.

_It's most likely that he's taking the opportunity in getting himself drunk while I'm not there to stop him Kayla thought amusedly as she headed down the hallway. Up till now from what she seen, Tasuki hadn't broke his promise... yet. Since this was Tasuki and sake she was talking about, one could never be too certain in how long he could hold out. _

She absently made a turn in the hallway....

Out of nowhere, a hand holding a cloth covered her mouth muffling her startled scream. _What..... what's happening?! Her mind screamed in protest. Kayla struggled as she felt herself being dragged away. A sickening sweet aroma engulfed her senses slowly causing her mind to become hazy. _

"Finally we found you, you're just one sneaky little runt aren't you?" a voice hissed out of the corner seemingly out of the darkness.

Kayla's eyes widened in horror. She knew that voice anywhere! She struggled harder as the impending feeling of dread overwhelmed her. _No it can't be! She twisted in her attacker's hold and turned to direction of the voice. Only to find that unmistakably in front of her along with a few other strangers stood her uncle giving her that malicious grin she only knew too well of. _

She wanted to scream for help but the strong hand with the cloth on her face prevented her from doing so. _That smell.... the cloth.... it's been drugged! Kayla realized too late as she felt herself grew more tired and weaker. She tried to break free, but found it useless. She was losing strength and she was losing fast. With her last burst of energy, her hand went the chain around her neck and pulled hard, hearing a satisfying snap. It was her only hope left and could only prayed that her uncle had not caught what she had last done._

_Must not... sleep she thought despairingly, but knew she was only preventing the inevitable as she felt her eyes were growing heavier. Dimly, she was aware that she was being carried away, but she no longer had the power to stop it. She was being taken away from the freedom she had only experienced for a short amount of time. Away from the life that she had wanted so badly. Away from all of her newfound friends.... and away from him. __Tasuki her last thought faded as she fell into unconsciousness against her will._

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**Author's Notes:**

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Gemini: Where is Cancer (looks around outside for Cancer since she couldn't find her anywhere inside the house) I swear that girl is never here when I need her.

Cancer: Help!!

Gemini: What? (looks around and found Cancer dangling by the side of a very deep cliff) Cancer what the hell are you doing down there?!

Cancer: (glares Gemini as she continued to hang on to a _very unstable tree branch by the cliff) It's all you fault!!! You're the one who decided to leave this story in a CLIFFHANGER!!! _

Gemini: (sweatdrops) I never meant it!!! The chapter was getting to be unbelievable long, so I had to end it somewhere!! Honestly, I swear you take things TOO LITERARY sometimes.

Cancer: I don't care!!! Just get me out of the mess!!

Gemini: (thinks for awhile) I don't know......

Cancer: WHAT?! What do you mean you don't know?!?!?!?!

Gemini: Well.... seeing how much I had suffered from the last chapter (read the last chapter's author's notes and disclaimer if you didn't know what Gemini was talking about) I think it would be very good to leave you there for a while HEHEHEHE!!!!

Cancer: Haha very funny Gemini, now stop joking.... Gemini?..... Gemini?!?!?! (starts to panic as 

Gemini walks away) _CRACK!! .... Uh oh...... _

Gemini: Anyway, unlike Cancer, I will try not to leave the rest of you readers hanging for too long. Just remember to review and tell me what you think about this chapter. Likes and dislikes, it doesn't matter, just tell me what you think. {^.~} 

For those of you who didn't recognize the song Tasuki was singing to irritate Kayla; it was that beer song that usually annoys so many people. We just modify it a little to suit Tasuki's taste LOL

The original song goes like this:

_100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer_

_If one of those bottles should happen to fall _

_99 bottles of beer on the wall_

_99 bottles of beer on the wall, etc, etc......_

We also hope that Nakago didn't seemed too out of character. It was actually very difficult to get his character right exactly, but we'll work on it. Thanx for all your support and like Gemini said. Don't forget to review. We luv them all!!


	13. Unwilling To Let Go

**Disclaimer: Twin Girls does NOT own Fushigi Yuugi**

Gemini: (Sweatdrops) Ummm.... that disclaimer seems really short compare to all our previous ones doesn't

it? 

(readers nodded)

Gemini: Yeah I thought so too hehe..... oh well.... anyway... for those of you faithful readers who had

been wondering what had happened to Cancer last chapter (or maybe you really don't care which is fine

with me LOL) Don't worry (or not) She IS okay, I had manage to save her from the cliffhanger I had left

last chapter before she fell to an early grave.

Readers: WHAT?! (very puzzled in why Gemini would be so nice)

Cancer: (pops in and glomps Gemini with starry eyes) Yeah I know Gemini would never leave me to die like

that. Yeah!!! Admit it Gemini, YOU DO CARE FOR ME!!!! YOU MIIIISSSSS ME!!!!! 

Gemini: WHAT?!?! (pushes Cancer away and jumps 10 feet away) I saved you because I need you to help with the

next chapter!!!

Cancer: Yeah but that means YOU NEEEEED MEEEEE!!!! (Starts to sing out of tune) 

Gemini: Oh boy (rolls her eyes) Looks like that little cliff incident had left her a bit delirious, it would

be awhile before she returns to normal (sweatdrops) or as normal as one could get anyway.... hmmmm....

(starts thinking) or maybe......

(Gemini suddenly tackles Cancer on the floor and start pulling her hair)

Cancer: Owowowow!!!! GEMINI WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?!

Gemini: Who are you?! (Starts pulling on Cancer's face) You can NOT be Cancer!! You're WAY TOO FRIENDLY

AND PEACEFUL to be the REAL Cancer!! WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE REAL CANCER?!?!

Cancer: I AM the real Cancer you BAKA!! OW!! 

(The two authors continues to fight just like old times)

Readers: (Grins and watches the two authors fight) Well at least we know that they are the REAL Gemini and Cancer LOL no one can fight like those two (Begins to put in bets in which author would win the fight) This is even better then watching wrestling!!

We would like to apologize for having to keep all you wonderful readers waiting for the next chapter.

Unfortunately we had been suffering from a temporary writers' block but hopefully this chapter would

satisfy you before school starts again. Enjoy! (stupid school.....)   

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**Chapter 13: Unwilling To Let Go**

Tasuki swore fluently as he left the inn's bedroom and stalked out into the hallway. He ignored the glare he was receiving from a woman who had passed by him in the hall obviously not pleased with his choice of vocabulary. _Like I care what she thinks he thought with a hint of amusement. But his amusement was once again replaced with the feeling of annoyance. Annoyance over a certain long dark-haired boy who did not understood the concept of __'staying-put' when he had specifically told him to wait in the room until he came back with dinner. However, much to his exasperation, Kayla was no longer there when he had returned and now he had to look for him._

He supposed he shouldn't be too f*cking surprised that Kayla wasn't there. The day when Kayla actually follows _'his' orders was the day he, Tasuki, a Suzaku Seishi; Genrou, Leader of the Mount Leikaku Bandits announces to the world that he __likes girls (which in other words meant: impossible, never happening and __'you-must-be-crazy-if-you-think-this-is-possible' sort-of-way). _

He supposed that he could have just waited in the room for Kayla to come back and then he could kick the boy's ass for leaving. However, patience was **not his virtue. After pacing around the room for five f*cking minutes in waiting, he gave up and went out looking for Kayla instead. In his mind, he was already slowly thinking of various ways to yell at the boy (possibly give out threats that involves his Tessan and Kayla's hair) for his disappearing stunt. **

In the mist of his swearing, annoyance and death threats, he couldn't ignore the gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach that something was terribly wrong. It was possible that the feeling was only from the result that he was hungry (he didn't ate dinner yet after all). However, the feeling could be his instincts kicking in, warning him that something had happened to Kayla. Tasuki took a calming breath trying to suppress the small rising panic he felt beginning to build within and silently prayed that the feeling was just hunger and **NOT the feeling of impending trouble. **

However, in the past, he had learned that his instincts are so rarely proven wrong. 

_'Crack'_

A small sound interrupted Tasuki's less-than-pleasant thoughts and he looked down as he felt something under his foot. Curiously, he bend down and picked up the object that was laying on the wooden floor in the hallway. Tasuki's eye widen in what one could relate to as shock and fear. The colour drained from his face leaving him looking considerably pale. He recognized the object he was now holding in his hand. Although he had really only seen and held it about once or twice, he was still able to recognize it. 

It was Kayla's necklace!

There was no mistake about it, he could recognize it anywhere. The red stone that always seemed to glow with an inner light, the 'soul' character inscribed in the back. It was Kayla's necklace alright. After inspecting the necklace a bit more, he realized that the clasp of its silver chain was broken for reasons unknown. Almost as if it was yanked from someone's (or Kayla's in this case) neck. This unnerved him even more. 

Kayla had always carried this necklace with him. Always. He never saw the boy took it off. The necklace was like the boy's life line, his only valuable possession. Tasuki highly doubted that Kayla would be so careless as to lose something as important to him as this. No. Something must have happened to Kayla to have him dropped something this precious. Something bad. 

Tasuki stood up, his hand gripping the necklace as if he was trying to squeeze the jewel for answers. The slow rising panic he had felt from before had now became full-fledge warning bells ringing in his mind. _Where is Kayla?! Could something have happen to him? Could he have been attacked? But he would have been able to defend himself.... couldn't he? A million questions flowed through his mind as he ran down the hallway and practically flew down the stairs , knocking down a few people with his (thanks to Suzaku) inhuman speed._

If someone did attacked and kidnapped Kayla, who would do such a thing? From what Kayla had revealed to him, he didn't really had any enemies except.... the answer hit Tasuki like a ton of boulders before he even finished that last thought. _Kuso! They found him!! _

His panic intensified into anger at the thought of the possibility. He reached outside and into the chilling air of the night. _Damn, damn, DAMN....!! His eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness as he surveyed the area looking for something. Anything! Anything that could be a clue in telling him where they had taken Kayla. _

It was still not too late, maybe he could still catch up to those bastards. The necklace couldn't have been lying in the hallway for too long before he had found it or else someone would have found it and taken the necklace for their own. No. They must still be nearby given the limited amount of time... only that was what he was hoping for. 

His eyes flashed with determination, the worry was hidden within its depth. He was certain Kayla, his friend was in danger. No matter how many times they had argued and fight, they were friends maybe even brothers as ironic as it may seem. He had to save Kayla. _Please don't let it be too late he silently prayed.  _

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The first thing that Kayla had noticed when she was making that shift back to reality was that she was tired and feeling weak for some reason. She felt so tired that she just wanted to fall back into unconsciousness. The next thing she had noticed was that she was moving. The only problem was that she was NOT the one moving herself. Something or _someone was carrying her! She shifted her body in protest only to find in horror that her hands were tied behind her. _

_What the....?! Her eyes flew open in shock only to see the moving ground below her, an upside-down view of passing trees around her and a view of some stranger's back. She quickly realized that she was being carried over someone's shoulder! Kayla wanted to scream, to shout, to yell, to say anything in protest against what was happening; only she found that a cloth was tied against her mouth preventing her from speaking out. The only sound that emitted out of her was a few incoherent mumbles and squeals, but nothing more.  _

It took her a few seconds to remember what was happening and the memory filled her dread, anger and fear all at the same time causing her body to shudder violently_. So it wasn't a nightmare, it's really happening! She thought despairingly. __My uncle did find me and now he and a bunch of strange men are taking me back to the hell hole! _

She began to struggle trying to ignore the exhaustion she was feeling in her body. It didn't took long for her to figure that the drug they had used to knock her out was still affecting her body. Even though she had awakened, the drug was still in her body causing her to feel weak and exhausted. Despite this setback, she continued to move in protest (at least as much as her body would allow her to move with her hands tied) _Let me go you bastard! She thought angrily as she struggled in her holder's grip. Luckily her legs were able to kick her holder in the chest hearing a satisfying grunt in pain. However her small triumph was only short-lived. _

"Stop struggling you little bitch!" her carrier was obviously not amused with her little tactics. 

"What's going on back there?" Kayla froze as she heard her uncle's voice. Just the sounds of his voice send unshakable dread down her spine, making her feel sick in the stomach. _Please anyone but him she pleaded silently, but it was futile. _

"She's awake from the drug" she heard her carrier replied back, his gruff voice was filled with annoyance at the trouble she was causing him. _Don't worry, it's not like I'm enjoying this either she thought darkly. She stopped the unavailing struggle, finding that she was only tiring herself quickly from the effects of the drug. _

She closed her eyes tightly. She wanted all this to be a dream, just wanted this all to be just a terrible nightmare and when she wakes up, she would be okay and she would still be with Tasuki looking for Miaka, Nuriko and Hotohori. _Tasuki her mind went back to the fiery-haired Seishi__. He's still back in the inn, does he know that I'm missing? Is he looking for me? Does he even care? _

That last question did not leave much comfort in her mind. She had been able to leave her necklace behind as a clue before she had fallen unconscious. Judging from the light of day, she had been unconscious for no more then a few hours, but the chances of Tasuki finding her necklace and figuring that she was in trouble was slim. It seemed hopeless. 

"She's awake is she? Well let's see" she heard her uncle's voice and the sound of his footsteps as he came closer and closer to her. Unexpectedly, the man carrying her dropped her unceremoniously on the ground. Kayla suppressed the urge to cry out as she fell painfully on her side. Without the use of hands to support her, the fall (which had been considerably high) had knocked the wind out of her. It did not do well with her already weaken condition. 

Despite her exhaustion, she glared at the man who had dropped her. However the man was unfazed by her glare with her hostility and only glared back at her as if she was worthless. She found about 8 men surrounding her, all most likely hired by uncle to search for her. 

"Tsk Tsk. Well nice for you to finally wake up" the voice was anything but pleasant. Kayla shifted her gaze and glared at the owner of the voice. She tried to remain emotionless, not allowing him to see her fear even though the feeling was screaming within her wanting to escape. "Is that anyway to look at your family after so long?" her uncle spoke with cruel amusement. Kayla wished she wasn't being gagged, she wanted to scream. 

To her disgust, her uncle grabbed her chin forcing her to look at him directly face to face. He regarded her appearance as if he had just noticed the way she had been dressing. "Very clever to disguise yourself as a boy, you practically fooled everyone.... except me of course I didn't raise you for 5 years without knowing better" he spoke with mock amusement. "I would have just let you leave and get a troublemaker out of my life, however.... I already arranged for you to be married to a rich merchant and he paid huge sums of money for you. I'm not about to let a little bitch like you spoil my plans!" her uncle's amusement was gone, only anger and annoyance showed now. 

Kayla's anger rose as she listened to her uncle's words. Silently she wished that the intensity of her glare was enough to make the man self-combust into a million pieces. The fear she had been feeling was repressed by the overwhelming rage raising within her. She knew about her arranged marriage with some fat, perverted merchant she had never met before. It had been one of the main reasons why she had ran away in the first place. She wasn't going to let her relatives decide her fate like this; she wasn't going to let them ruin her life. That was why she had left. Now, she was furious with her uncle for taking her back to her prison and marrying her off to some cruel bastard she hadn't even seen in her life just so he could get paid a few more money to his already rich wealth. 

She felt her whole body shook with barely contained rage. Oh how she wished that she could speak, then she could really tell her uncle off along with a few choice words she had picked up from Tasuki. 

All of a sudden, her uncle slapped her hard against the face knocking her into the ground. She felt momentarily dazed from the impact making her feel worst other then her exhaustion. She was in no doubt that her cheek was going to bruise.

"Don't look at me like that you bitch! You should be grateful that I sold you to some rich merchant and not to a whorehouse instead!" he hissed at her venomously. "Pick her up, we're wasting time here" he ordered. The men who had watched the whole scene emotionlessly obeyed without question just like her uncle had paid them to be. 

Kayla curled herself into a cocoon-like shape, burying her face in the grass. She wanted to make herself as small as possible as the men approach closer towards her intending to pick her up again. That hit from her uncle had brought back all the terrible memories of her uncle's abuse in the past five years when she had been alone. Just like how she was right now. She couldn't fight, not like this. The feeling fury was abandoning her now leaving her feeling more vulnerable then before. _Stay away from me she whimpered silently shutting her eyes tightly. __Tasuki, where are you?  _

"Don't you know its f*cking cowardly to gang up on a guy like that?"

Kayla started violently at the familiar voice that penetrated through her fears. _It couldn't be....... could he possibly....? Gathering enough courage, she opened her eyes half-expecting that the voice was only an illusion conjured up by her own delirious mind. Not only was her body weakened, now it seems as though the exhaustion had gone to her brain as well. _

She lifted her head from the grass and looked. And she blinked. She was met with the sight of a familiar fanged smirk along with those penetrating amber eyes and fiery hair. The owner of those amber eyes returned her gaze as he looked back at her with unmistakable recognition, anger and... concern. Meeting with his eyes, she instantly knew. She knew that this man whom she had been pleading for was really standing there before her. He was not an illusion as she had initially thought. No illusion can be so real.

Tasuki glared angrily at the men surrounding Kayla. He had arrived just in time to see some fat bastard slapped Kayla across the face. Although he had been too far to hear what they had been saying, no words were needed in order to know what was going on. They were hurting Kayla and that fact alone was enough reason for him to teach these men a fatal lesson: no one hurts Tasuki's friends without getting fatally burned.

"Let him go now and I might consider letting you live" Tasuki growled threateningly as he clenched his fist tightly. 

The men who had gotten over the shock of a man appearing before them out of nowhere, just laughed at his threat. "Or you'll do what?" mocked the fat man who had slapped Kayla before. "There's only one of you and practically ten of us, you're outnumbered!"

Tasuki smirked at the man's ignorance and got into a battle stance. These men were clueless as to what he was capable of. "Wrong answer" he simply stated, he was going to going to have a little fun with these bastards and make them pay dearly. 

The fat man sneered at his statement. "We'll see about that". Then he turned to his men, "Get rid of him" he ordered and his men obeyed immediately. All the men attacked Tasuki all at once, all of which Tasuki fought back against on his own. It was an unfair battle, although knowing _'which' side that was at the disadvantage was questionable. _

_He's toying with them Kayla realized as she watched Tasuki fought the men. He may be outnumbered, but Tasuki was a skilled fighter along with his speed and agility. Compared to him, these men may as well be clumsy, overweighed pigs attempting to fight. Yet Tasuki took his time, blocking a series of attacks and giving out a few of his own, He hadn't even bothered to use his Tessan which could have defeated the men in mere seconds. _

Not wanting to waste her chance, she quickly looked around trying to find something that could help loosen the bounds on her hands. A glint caught her attention. A dagger! Most likely dropped by one of the men while fighting Tasuki. Awkwardly, she crawled towards it ignoring the protest of her body. _Just a bit closer.... Got it! She thought triumphantly as she felt her fingers touched the cool blade of the dagger._

Clumsily she took the dagger in her hand and proceeded in cutting the ropes. It was harder then she had thought as she accidentally cut herself a little with the sharp blade. Kayla winced a little but focused on cutting the bounds, ignoring the slight burning pain on her wrist. She had to get free, she couldn't count on Tasuki to keep all the men distracted for long before they remember her again. 

_Come on, come on..... she urged silently as she worked through the ropes. _

Finally after for what seemed to be an eternity, she succeeded and instantly felt the sudden loosening of her bounds. She quickly got rid of the rest of the ropes and sat up, thoroughly relieved to have her hands free. She took the cloth that had been tied to her mouth and inhaled the sweet fresh air deeply. 

"Lekkha Shinen!" the familiar incantation interrupted Kayla's brief moment of bliss and she turned to the direction of the fiery-haired Seishi. She wished she hadn't looked. Apparently Tasuki was fed up with the men and decided to use his secret weapon to finish the job. His Tessan. Now, almost half of the men had been consumed by the intensive flames, leaving them lying on the ground with terrible burns. It was a brutal scene and Kayla closed her eyes to block out the images of the gravely wounded men before her. Despite what these men had done to her, they had only been following orders from her uncle. 

The other half of the men who had been more fortunate, (only receiving some partial burns from Tasuki's Tessan) had now all fled the scene with their clothes still on fire and screaming in fear, knowing they cannot beat such power.

Kayla let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. _It's finally over she thought as relief flooded over her whole body. She tiredly began to make her way towards Tasuki, completely unaware of the presence stalking behind her until it was too late._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tasuki smirked as he watched the men fled like cowards. _That should teach them not to mess with others especially a Suzaku Seishi. He turned to Kayla intended to untie his bounds and then to yell at him for wandering off in the first place. To his shock, he found Kayla standing a few feet before him with a look of shock and horror that mirrored his own. _

_No.... no....! That one word continued to echo in his mind as he watched in alarm as Kayla stood there being held in a tight neck lock by no other than that fat bastard from before. What made his blood ran cold was the sight of the deadly dagger being held threateningly against Kayla's throat!_

Tasuki cursed himself, how can he be so foolish?! He should have kept watch at Kayla instead of focusing all his attention on beating the crap out of those men. Now because of his mistake, his friend might end up suffering the consequences of it! _Damn!! _

Kayla cursed herself, how can she be so careless?! She had been so distracted that she had forgotten about her uncle, assuming that he had ran away with the other men. Her uncle had taken advantage of her moment of distraction and stole the dagger she had been using before and turned it against her. She looked back at Tasuki as a feeling of dread overcame her senses. She watched as Tasuki's eyes glared angrily in their direction, the Tessan clenched so tightly in his grip causing his knuckles to go white. 

"Don't come any closer, unless you want to test just how sharp this dagger could be" her uncle hissed warningly as he began to back away from Tasuki while dragging Kayla along with him. 

Tasuki, unwilling to lose sight of them, followed them but at the same time kept a safe distance away so he wouldn't cause the man to panic and hurt Kayla with that dagger. He tried to come up with a solution to get Kayla out of this mess but found himself drawing a blank.

Kayla found herself being half-dragged and half-walking as she was being taken by her uncle. She almost tripped when her uncle abruptly stopped, feeling his whole body tensed. Kayla turned a little to see what had caused her uncle to stop and almost cried out in fear. 

Apparently they had reached a dead end where a cliff was only a few steps away from where they stood. 

She tear her gaze away from the bottomless cliff and back to Tasuki who stood only a few feet away from them. The moment was so tense and the air was so thick that Kayla found it hard to breathe.

"Let go of Kayla now, and you can go free" Tasuki said slowly as he made his way closer towards them. Unfortunately the man refused to be co-operative. 

"Stay where you are! It's all your fault! You ruined my plans!" The man cried angrily directing his blame on Tasuki. He was clearly losing control now as fury took over. Never had Tasuki seen a man so angry. This fact made him even more nervous. This man was unstable, any wrong move can cause him to lose control and take his anger out on Kayla by slitting his throat! 

"What do you want?!" Tasuki demanded barely able to control himself, trying to at least stall for time.

There must be a way out of this! There must.....

Suddenly the man laughed! It was an unpleasant laugh, one filled with pure insanity that made both Kayla and Tasuki's skin crawled. "I won't let any of you win! Not while I'm still around" her uncle hissed viciously, his eyes were no longer focused nor sane for any normal person.

Kayla's fear rose as she listened to her uncle's words. She knew her uncle had never liked her and had even enjoyed tormenting her. However she could never imagine nor understand why her uncle could **hate her with such intensity. _Why?! Why me?! What had I ever done to him to cause him to hate me this much?! She realized that her uncle was clearly no longer in full control with himself for he was never really mentally stable to begin with. This defeat caused by her and Tasuki had marked a limit to his mental conditions. He was a man who took pleasure in the pain of others (specifically hers). Truly twisted, dangerous...... and sad. _**

"Goodbye _'dear niece'" her uncle hissed quietly into her ear. Final words. Before she could even acknowledge what these words meant, she felt a strong push from her uncle throwing her off the cliff and the sensation of falling down the endless cliff overwhelmed her senses. A scream she barely recognized as her own erupted from her throat. __Dear Suzaku! I'm going to die! It was all happening so fast that she couldn't even hear the panic crying of her name from the fiery-haired Seishi._

All of a sudden, someone grabbed hold of her hand, stopping her abruptly from falling any further. She tried not to look down at her feet which were now dangling in midair reminding her that she was still hanging by a thread from sudden death. Startled by the fact that she had once again cheated death (at least for the moment), she looked up at her saviour. _Tasuki?!_

Tasuki cursed with every swear word known to man as he held tightly to Kayla's hand with one hand and the tree branch with his other. His heart was pounding furiously and the adrenaline pumping mercilessly throughout his body. 

When that man had pushed Kayla down the deadly cliff, he had jumped down after the boy attempting to save him. It was a reckless and stupid thing to do, but he had no time to think. He just forgotten everything and just reacted. They had almost fell halfway down before he caught hold of Kayla's hand in midair and grabbed the nearest lifeline that happened to be a branch hanging off the cliff. They were now suspended by the cliff's jagged side in the air with only a tree branch preventing them from falling into an early grave. Definitely not a good position to be in. 

He looked down at Kayla who looked back with a mixed expression of relief, fear and mostly of shock, practically speechless at the daring stunt he had pulled. _Dammit now what?! We can't hang like this forever! Maybe we can climb..._

**_'CRACK!!'......... __Kuso!! _**

Kayla eyes widen in fear as she heard the branch cracked a little. However this time, she didn't only fear for her life, she feared more for Tasuki's life. The man was endangering his own life now thanks to her. The tree branch would not hold both of their weight for long. They would both fall if she doesn't do anything about it! It took only a split second for her to consider her next decision. 

"Tasuki, let go!" she cried up to him. 

It was a simple command. It was her decision. She couldn't let him die because of her. He still had his destiny as a Seishi to fulfill while she, herself was expendable. She wasn't worth the risk. 

However the fiery Seishi did not agree. 

"WHAT?!?!" Tasuki cried, his eyes clearly expressing the shock and bewilderment at her words. 

"We'll both fall if you don't let go of me!" she yelled urgently wanting him to understand her view, as she tried to pry her hand from his hold. 

Acknowledging her attempt to loosen his hold, Tasuki's grip held firm if not stronger. "No!" was his answer with unwavering determination. 

"Don't you understand you baka!" she shouted frustrated and desperately. "You **have to survive; you're needed in your destiny! I'm not worth_"**

"Shut up Kayla!!" Tasuki shouted angrily, fire burning intensively in his amber eyes. "Don't you dare play damn sacrifice on me now at a time like this! If you think that I'm going to let you fall just so I can save myself then you are f*cking wrong! There is no f*cking way I'm letting go!"

Kayla was once again at lost for words at what Tasuki had so bluntly emphasized to her. The results having the same effect as a slap in the face. She looked up at his face with a mixed expression of shock and awe. Never had she seen him so angry and determined before. 

She couldn't help the odd slight feeling of courage building within her, penetrating through her fears just by looking into those eyes of his. Somehow that feeling gave her a slight sense of comfort in believing that in some way or another, they would get out of this alive despite the grave and seemingly hopeless situation they're in now.

**_'SNAP!!'  _**

Kayla never had a chance to respond verbally as the branch finally snapped under their weight causing her and Tasuki to fall once again down towards the advancing ground below. 

Thinking quickly as they fell, Tasuki caught hold of Kayla's falling form in his arms, covering the boy's body with his own. It was a mere attempt to soften the boy's fall but it seemed hopeless given the quick velocity they're falling at with nothing to slow them down. 

They continued to plunge down the jagged cliff and unknowingly down into the forest below them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

The shooting pain throughout her body especially her right leg was the first sensation she had felt when she had woken up. To say the least, it had not been a well feeling to wake up to. Since her body protest _'any' large movement of __'any' of her muscles, this left her lying on her back staring blankly at the trees above her. _

_Trees? When did I end up in the forest? Kami-sama! My body feels so sore! I felt like I've just fell down a cliff and hit every single jagged edge with my body..... oh wait..... I **did fell down a cliff!!...... Does that mean I'm dead? She scratched that last thought. If she had really did died, she doubted the afterlife could involve this much physical pain. So that means that she had somehow miraculously survived the fall. **_

Given her current situation of pain, she was wondering if that was really a _'good' thing._

_How long have I've been unconscious? She wondered as the sun's early rays brought soothing warmth to her face. Despite the terrible aches and pains she was feeling, she supposed that she could at least be grateful to be alive to see another light of day. If she had survived, then does that mean......_

_Dear Suzaku! Tasuki!! The realization had hit her like a splash of cold water in the face and she mentally berated herself for not realizing it sooner. She unwisely shot up from her lying position, instantly crying out in pain as her body protested violently for her abrupt actions. However she looked around frantically for the fiery-haired man praying that he wasn't fatally injured or..... dead. __If anything ever happens to him, I'll never forgive myself. Please Suzaku, let him be alright!_

Her prayer had been answered as she caught sight of a familiar figure lying unconsciously on the ground behind where she sat only a few feet away. Ignoring her body's warning, she stood up instantly, only to fall back down clutching her right ankle in pain. She gently prodded her ankle and found it to be swollen and hurting immensely at her own touch. 

"Just great" she muttered. She must have injured her leg during the fall. She couldn't tell whether her ankle was sprained.... or broken. Neither case seemed favourable to her. 

_First thing's first, I have to see if Tasuki's __okay She slowly stood up and proceeded towards Tasuki, trying to put as least pressure on her injured foot as possible. But before she could even take two steps, she collapsed back down unable to stand the pain any longer. It was no use, she can't walk. Not like this._

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she did the next best thing. She dragged her body forward towards Tasuki with the use of her hands. 

What were really a few feet had seemed like a couple of miles to Kayla as she finally reached Tasuki. Like her when she had woken up, he was also lying on his back. There were numerous faint scratches on his hands and face, but only minor ones that would heal in time. She noticed some dried blood on the side of his head. That worried her and could only hope it would only be minor head wound. 

She gently shook him on the shoulders attempting to wake him up. Even though she had found no major bleeding wound, she couldn't be sure if he had broken or sprained anything like she did. "Tasuki? Tasuki? Come on wake up!" she urged. 

He didn't wake. 

Kayla began to panic and quickly lower her head against his chest and listened. She allowed herself the luxury of letting a sigh of relief when she heard the steady beating of his heart. _Thank Suzaku he's alive, but why isn't he waking up? Kayla frowned as she continued to try to wake him. She continued on like this, each passing moment causing her fear to raise a notch. He still wouldn't wake; this was not a good sign. _

"Dammit Tasuki! Wake up!" She yelled angrily if not desperately. _What if that wound on his head was even more serious then I had thought?! She didn't like where her thoughts were going. She had heard of stories in her life of how some people after serious injuries on the head had rendered them unconscious for long periods of time ranging from few days to weeks, months or even for the rest of their remaining lives! The thought made her blood ran cold. _

What if Tasuki never wakes up like those people? It would be like he was dead but only living..... and it would be all her fault. _My fault she thought guiltily as she remembered how he tried to shield her with his body when they had fell. She would never forgive herself if this happens to him. Having him to never wake up to see another day, never waking from his endless sleep. What kind of life is that?!_

"Dammit Tasuki! You baka! Why didn't you let go of me when you had the chance?!" She yelled angrily as she felt the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She shook her head fiercely. No! She can't give up hope now and assumed the worst when she was still uncertain. She _'will' wake him up even if she had to slap him hard numerous times to do it!_

No longer caring about being gentle or not, she began shaking him excessively, shouting at him and even using threats if he doesn't wake up soon. She didn't even notice the tears rolling down her cheeks. Despite her determination, she was beginning to lose hope of ever waking him up. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 

Tasuki had been quite comfortable staying in the dark; however that constant persuasive nagging in the back of his subconscious had prevented him from relaxing and just letting go. It refused to let him go. It kept reminding him that he was forgetting something important and if he doesn't come back, he'll regret it. So he did the only thing he could do in order to stop that irritating nagging feeling. He woke up.....

Only to find himself being shaken mercilessly with pain shooting up his entire body and the sound of Kayla's voice yelling at him to wake up.

"Dammit... Kuso... Kayla stop.... shaking.... me!!" he managed to utter in between the boy's shaking out of annoyance. The sound of his voice had definitely caught Kayla's attention as he immediately stopped shaking him so roughly and let go of his shoulders with a loud gasp of surprise. 

Tasuki opened his eyes with a groan and found a pair of tearful amber eyes gazing back at his own. _Tears? "Kayla?" he mumbled feeling slightly relieved that the boy was okay. He carefully sat up and winced as he felt a throbbing pain from his right shoulder. He must have injured it during the fall, at least it wasn't broken. He checked the rest of his body carefully shifting his limbs. Nothing seemed broken except for a few scratches here and there but nothing too serious fortunately. Nevertheless he was surprised that they had survived a fall like that. _

He looked up at the trees standing high above them. _Those trees must have been what broke our fall he realized as he turned back to Kayla. The boy had not spoken one word since he had stopped shaking him and Tasuki found himself vaguely wondering if something was wrong with him. _

"T.... Tasuki? You're awake?" Kayla managed to utter while staring at him in disbelief. 

Tasuki couldn't help but smirk at his comment. "No, that fall had caused you to hallucinate, you're actually talking to an illusion right now" He replied sarcastically. Unexpectedly, Kayla didn't respond to his sarcasm as he would expect. "Kayla?" he asked uneasily, his sarcasm had disappeared as he looked at the boy. Kayla had turned away refusing to face him. He could only imagine what thoughts were running through his head now. 

"Why didn't you let go?" The question was spoken so softly that Tasuki had almost missed it. 

"What?"

"Why didn't you let go when we were hanging on that cliff?" Kayla repeated, still refusing to face him.

His voice was almost sad yet demanding. "Didn't you know that you could have been killed?!"

Tasuki only stared back in puzzlement. "Is that a way to talk to someone who had just saved your life?" he asked half-mockingly and half-seriously. 

Unfortunately he only succeeded in making Kayla more agitated. "Are you a baka?! Didn't you hear what I said?! I said that you could have been killed!! You should have let go of my hand when you had the chance!!" he yelled. 

Tasuki looked at Kayla with shock but then anger began to consume him as well in the boy's stupidity. "Dammit Kayla! We've been through this already! There was no way in hell I was going to let go!"

But Kayla only shook his head fiercely at his remark. "But I'm not worth it! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you died because of me!" he shouted back angrily. Despite his bitter tone, Tasuki could tell that Kayla was not really angry at him but only angry with himself. 

Tasuki could feel himself losing his temper. "You're so damn f*cking stubborn Kayla!" he yelled grabbing the boy's shoulder and forcing him to look at him face to face. He was met the sight of Kayla's tear stained face looking back at him pitifully.

Poor Tasuki was torn between wanting to console him and wanting to shake the boy senseless until he get the message across to the damn boy's head as strange as it had sound. He swore that Kayla was sometimes just TOO damn stubborn for his own good. Even more stubborn then he was. "Do you think I'll be able to live with myself if I let you fall?! Would you have let me go if you were in my position?! Tell me that!!" Tasuki continued forcing his voice to stay firm. 

Kayla remained silent. She looked up at Tasuki unable to give a respond immediately to his question. She had never really considered it that way before. Even though it was such simple logic, she found herself having trouble registering it. 

She shifted uncomfortably under Tasuki's gaze. She wanted to say anything that would tell Tasuki that he had been wrong. She wanted to tell him that she would have let go if she had been in his position. 

But dear Suzauki! That fierceness in his eye forbids her lie. His gaze wasn't intrusive, but the gaze was so intensive that she swore she could feel the heat radiating from it. It was a gaze that she couldn't lie to even if she had tried. Finally she hung her head dejectedly, "No.... I wouldn't have let go... but_" 

"No buts Kayla!" he interrupted firmly. "I'm here, you're here, I didn't let go and we both had managed to survive that f*cking fall so stop ya complaining already will ya!" 

Kayla hesitated slightly before giving a slight nod at his request. "For a moment I thought...." she paused.

"Thought what?" Tasuki questioned wondering what else in the world was bothering the boy. 

_For a moment, I thought you weren't going to wake up... and it had scared me but Kayla shook her head at the thought. "Never mind" she answered solemnly. She directed her attention elsewhere ignoring the puzzle look from Tasuki. "So where are we now?" she asked changing the subject entirely. _

Tasuki looked around as well. Good question. "Who knows" he answered "We're in the middle of nowhere in this forest but I guess we're now further south"

"So what are we going to do?"

"We might as well walk for awhile and see if there is some people nearby that could give us some directions and also maybe a place to rest before we move on. We're not going back to _'that' village we were at before that's for certain." he decided after thinking for awhile. _

Kayla involuntarily shuddered at the thought of going back to that place, the place where this whole incident had started. She had to agree with Tasuki, she did _NOT want to go back there._

"What are you still sitting there for? Come on already, we're wasting time" Tasuki urged as he slowly stood up ignoring the pain on his shoulder. 

Kayla proceeded to follow his suit and was instantly reminded of her difficulty as the pain once again shot out from her right foot. The pain was so abrupt and so unexpected, that it caused her to whimper slightly at the pain. Hearing her, Tasuki immediately bend down and gently prodded her ankle as she had done before and carefully shifted her ankle a little to test it.

"Ow! Watch it Tasuki!" Kayla cried in pain even though he had moved her ankle only an inch. 

Tasuki frowned. "Be glad it's only a sprain, a pretty bad one but at least it isn't broken"

Kayla looked at her ankle gravely, if she couldn't walk, how was she going to travel? She looked at Tasuki wondering if he had any ideas. The Seishi looked as if he was considering something before unexpectedly, he bend down with his back facing towards her. "Hop on" he said casually. 

Kayla stared at him blankly (or at least staring at his back) "Ummm... What are you doing?" she asked, unable to comprehend his intentions.

Tasuki turned, giving her a look of exasperation "What does it look like? I'm going to carry you on my back" he answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

Again, Kayla stared at him, this time it was out of pure shock. "What?! Oh no no no no....." she objected, shaking her head in emphasis. "I don't need anyone to carry me, I'll walk, I can walk, see?" She tried to demonstrate by trying to stand up again but of course, she failed immensely.

Tasuki regarded her actions with mild amusement. "And just what is wrong with me carrying you on my back?" he asked. 

"It's just...." Kayla found herself unable to come up with a reasonable explanation. "Can't I just use a walking stick instead" she suggested weakly. 

Tasuki shook his head "You can't put any more pressure on that foot, it will only make it worst. Besides, I don't see why you're being so damn overactive with all this, Nuriko carried you once and you were okay with it." 

"B... but that was different!"

"How so?"

Kayla opened her mouth to reply but then closed it, unable to give a suitable answer. Her heart was beating furiously for reasons unknown. All she knew was that she really, **REALLY did not want Tasuki to carry her. Carrying means contact, contact means closeness, and closeness with Tasuki equals trouble waiting to happen. It was a simple equation. _Kami-sama! Please tell me this is _****NOT happening!!**

Tasuki sighed. He really couldn't understand the boy. Kayla was being damn difficult for NO particular reason at all and they were just wasting time here. "You have two choices Kayla. You either let me carry you on my back or I'll just haul you over my shoulder against your will. Either way I'm carrying you" he stated, his lips curled into an amused grin as he watched Kayla's reaction. 

Kayla glared irately at the once again annoying baka. He had definitely not given her much of a choice, which had only irritated her more. She hated the fact of how he always seemed to make life more difficult for her then it already was without so much as trying.

"I thought so" Tasuki replied with a smirk taking her silence as an answer. He turned around once more with his back facing her like before. "Come on, I'm not going to drop you. Damn, we're just wasting more time here, just get on".

Kayla swallowed. 

She carefully placed her arms around his neck and awkwardly shifted some of her weight onto his back.

When she was ready, he lifted her up effortlessly and proceeded in walking, never slowing down his pace. It was as if her weight had not affected his speed at all. She wondered vaguely if that was normal but then again, he wasn't exactly normal like other people.

They continued to walk (or rather, Tasuki walked) in silence, neither one saying a word. Kayla busied herself with watching the passing scenery trying to distract herself with fact of how close their bodes were or how she was close enough to rest her head on his shoulders comfortably if she was tired or how she was close enough to..... She instantly stopped her train of thoughts from going any further. 

_Kayla!! What are you thinking?! This is **Tasuki for god's sake!!! You know! The same annoying baka who constantly fights with you, constantly driving you up the wall with his ego the size of Hokkan!! She reminded herself desperately. **_

_Why are you thinking about how much you like him being this close to you?! He thinks you're a guy!! These are **bad thoughts Kayla! Think of healthy thoughts, not bad thoughts! Think ****healthy, not ****bad! Healthy thoughts, bad thoughts, healthy, bad, healthy, bad, bad, healthy, healthy, bad, bad, ****bad,...... GAHHH!!!!  Kayla continued to berate herself senselessly, quite sure that she was clearly on the brink of insanity. ******__THIS DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE!!!! THIS__

"Will you stop shifting so much, it's getting harder to carry you"

Kayla started violently at the sudden intrusion of his voice. She realized that her face was blushing furiously and could only be glad that he could not see her face. She immediately stopped shifting as he had requested. She hadn't even realized that she had been moving so much due to her less then decent thoughts focused mainly the man carrying her. She was about to retort back at the man out of sheer annoyance when she caught the side view expression on his face.

From her position, she could make out the tense look on his face... as if he was sort of struggling. The expression wasn't very noticeable since he seemed much focused in his task in carrying her and walking. She would have missed his tense visage completely if she weren't close enough to notice it. For some reason, Tasuki seemed to be struggling a little as if her weight was hurting him. Maybe he wasn't as strong as he had initially demonstrated before. "Are you alright Tasuki?" she asked softly, concern etching at the edge of her voice. 

Tasuki didn't respond for a moment. Although normally he could carry Kayla with ease, and yet that damn pain on his shoulder was causing him more trouble then he had expected. But he wasn't about to let Kayla know about that. "I'm fine" he answered, though his voice was a little strained.

Kayla wasn't convinced with his answer. What was wrong? She couldn't understand what could be causing this much pain for him.... Then she looked down at her right hand that was currently on his right shoulder. Curiously she had felt a faint dampness on his shoulder. She lifted her hand away from his shoulder and looked. She gasped in horror when she found a faint stain on his shoulder where her hand had been. It was slowly seeping into his dark blue outer coat. Blood....

_Dear Suzaku!!! She looked at her hand that had been on his right shoulder before. Surely enough, she found a faint red blood stain on her palm that had came from his wound. She had been wrong when she had initially thought that he had not received any serious wounds from that fall. Not only had he injured his shoulder, but he was making it worst by straining it in order to carry her causing it to bleed now. Why? Why didn't he say anything about it?! He must have known about it, he must have at least ****__felt it!!!_

"Tasuki! You're shoulder is bleeding!! You can't keep carrying me like this" she cried to him, hoping he would immediately set her down on the ground before he did any more damage to himself. To her amazement (and bit of exasperation) he chose to refuse her again. 

"No, it's nothing that I can't handle" Tasuki answered as he continued to walk never showing any indication of slowing down or letting her go. 

"WHAT?! Are you insane?! This is NOT nothing!! You're making it worst for your shoulder just by carrying me!! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!!" she protested as she began to struggle feeling very tempted to start beating his back in order to persuade him to let her go. However she restrained herself from doing because she didn't want to inflict any further more damage on his shoulder wound_. Damn him! Why does he have to be so close-minded?! I want to hurt him for being so stupid but I can't hit him or else I'll hurt him even more then he already is!!..... ARRG!!!! NOW I'M EVEN _

**_CONTRADICTING__ MYSELF!!_**

"Stop moving already!!" Tasuki ordered stiffly as he kept walking. His voice was filled with barely contained annoyance. "Damn!! How the hell are you suppose to move with that sprained ankle of yours if I put you down? You're just going to slow us down if I let you walk, not that you _'can' walk anyway!! We can't afford to waste anymore time and it's just faster if I carry you, so stop complaining already!!" _

"But you're shoulder_"

"Is fine! It's not really as bad as it look" Tasuki finished off firmly. He shifted the boy's weight a little to take the strain off his shoulder.

Kayla bit her lip in frustration. Tasuki was being unreasonable, just what was he trying to prove?!  He

may be a Seishi but that doesn't mean he isn't human! He could only push himself so far before he would either collapse from exhaustion or from complete blood lost. Unfortunately, no matter how much she had tried to struggle, Tasuki held firm showing no indication that he was going to stop and drop her on the floor as she had hoped he would. 

Kayla stopped her futile struggle and sagged defeated against his back. There was just no arguing with him when his mind was so obviously set. She wondered vaguely if this man's stubbornness had already defied all customary rules of human nature. Honestly, who else can be so stubborn, so stupid, so unreasonable, so thick-headed, so..... the list can go on and on. 

_Stupid baka! Tasuki no baka!! You're a stubborn pain in the ass!! You're unreasonable and  pigheaded!! Damn you! Why can't you just listen to me?! Why are you always being annoying as hell?!?! She sighed as she absently slowly laid her head on his shoulder suddenly feeling very weary. __Why do you have be so nice to me?...... she asked sadly to herself. There was no answer, yet this last question strayed in her mind longer then all the other questions from before.  _

As much as she had protested against his judgment, she wasn't blind. She knew deep down within herself that other then his stubbornness and pride, Tasuki was doing this for her well being. He had refused to let her walk on her own because he didn't want her to strain her ankle further. But damn that man!! She didn't want him to further hurt himself just because of her own inability to walk due to her stupid sprained ankle! 

First he had already saved her from her uncle. He had constantly tried to protect her, even going as far as risking his own life in order to keep her from serious harm when they had fell. Even with all the constant and endless bickering they kept having, he still chose to help her. That alone, had already made her eternally grateful for him.... and perhaps forever in his debt.

He had already done so much for her. He was her friend.... yet there was something else....  

Kayla frowned again as an indescribable feeling slowly dawned upon her. She knew the feeling was not only simple gratitude but more of affection... but not quite. 

The feeling had always been there ever since those first few days she had stayed in the stronghold with Tasuki. But it had been nothing different then just friendship like the affections she had for Kouji or Toushi. However, the feeling now was stronger and more directed specifically to Tasuki. It was something deeper and unlike anything she had really felt before and it confused her. It confused and scared her all at once because she was unsure in what this new development could mean for her. 

Scared that if she found out what this new surging emotion could be.... it would change everything.... 

So she didn't want to know. Didn't want to think about it. She **_REFUSED to think about it, and pushed this new emotion to the hidden chambers of her heart. _**

Unfortunately, the feeling seemed to have a life of its own and refused to keep hidden. Random memories flickered through her mind, all of which consisted of her and him. How they had met, how they had bickered, how they had fought, how they had made truce that had led to companionship, to friendship, to something like sibling affections, to..... this..... whatever _'this' could be. _

She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to make sense of all the turmoil of emotions and thoughts swirling within her. Against her better judgment she didn't even bother to lift her head from Tasuki's shoulder. She was feeling so drained that for some reason, she was just satisfied to just stay like that even for just a moment and listen to the gentle wind passing through the leaves as they traveled by. 

_It just doesn't make sense..... I don't understand this..... What's happening to me Tasuki?_

It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep.

Tasuki felt Kayla's body finally relaxed after a few moment of silence between them. He knew instantly that the boy had fallen asleep as he felt his head on his shoulder (his uninjured one). He didn't mind that since it had made things much easier for him. If having Kayla falling asleep can stop him from struggling anymore, he wasn't going to complain. 

He stopped and surveyed their surroundings. He was relieved when he saw a worn path, most likely made by many travelers passing by. His hope rose. If he followed the trail, most likely he'll reach some village and meet some people who might be able to help them.

He turned his head a little to check on Kayla. The boy was still fast asleep. Good, he'll need the rest.

For a moment, Tasuki just regarded Kayla's face as he slept. His face framed with the long bangs of his dark hair contrasting with his pale complexion. The rest of his messy braid was now hanging off on the side. He seemed so peaceful now with his expression devoid of the any stress and worries that he so often seen on the boy's face when he was awake. 

Tasuki couldn't help but let a small grin formed on his face. _The runt can be annoying as hell, but in times like these, he is worth the trouble... sometimes. He chuckled softly, shaking his head. __Why the hell did I think that? Must have hit my head harder then I thought he thought amusedly. _

He tore his gaze away from Kayla, inhaling deeply to clear his thoughts and preceded towards the worn path. However he paused for moment as he noticed something peculiar. It wasn't really significant but it surprised him just the same.  

He breathe in deeply again to make sure. Yes, it was still there, he had not imagined it.

Sweet spring blossom scent. The same scent that he had unintentionally experienced emitting from Kayla during the time when he had fell on top of the boy by accident in that dark cave. It had been a long time ago but now he was able to breathe in the same scent coming from Kayla again from being this close to the boy while he carried him. This was Kayla's scent.

He didn't know why the hell he would remember or notice it at a time like this. But it just came back

to him as a memory that would have been forgotten had he not notice it. 

Realizing that his thoughts were going nowhere, he snapped out his trance and focused on the road ahead of him once more. Silently, he prayed to Suzaku that he'll find civilization soon before the sun sets.  

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**Author's Notes: **

(Gemini and Cancer walked in with bandages and crutches and lots and lots of band-aids all over their body)

Gemini: Owow…. This is your entire fault Cancer!!

Cancer: Me?! You're the one who attacked me first!!

Gemini: I wouldn't have attacked you if you hadn't have been acting so weird in the first place or else I wouldn't have mistaken you for a fake happy-go-lucky clone or something!! (Grabs an ice pack for her bruising head and moans) Oooowwww my head!!!

Cancer: (sarcastic tone) Oh blame me for trying to be _'nice' to you, (starts to grin slyly) At least I beat you in the fight_

Gemini: Hey! What are you talking about?! I beat you!!

Cancer: No way!! Look at you (points to Gemini's injuries accusingly) you're a bigger wreak then I am!!

Gemini: No, Look at you (points to Cancer's leg crutches she is currently using) You can't even walk properly!! I beat you!!

Cancer: Oh yeah (hits Gemini with her crutches) Take that!!

Gemini: (glares at Cancer) Why you little…. Take that! (Throws her ice pack at Cancer and hits her squarely on the forehead)

Cancer: ARRRG!!!! This means war!!!

(The two authors once again went out to an all-out battle of the strongest ummm…. Somewhat strongest given their current injuries)

(Readers grin)

Readers: Well looks like Round Two is up!! (starts in putting bets again)

We once again apologize for the delay of this chapter even though we assure you that THIS WAS NOT OUR INTENTIONS HONEST!! Please forgive us!! (Beg on our knees) We love all you wonderful, supportive readers out there and all the reviews you gave us. We hope that you enjoy this chapter which had a lot of Tasuki/Kayla interactions. Be sure to review to tell us what you think!! Many Thanks!! {^.~} 


	14. Reunited Again

**Gemini:** What are you guys waiting for?!?! FINE!!! HERE!!!****

**DISCLAIMERS:** Fushigi Yuugi does not belong to us, it was created by Yuu Wastase.

**Gemini:** THERE!!! Do I need to say more?!?!

**Cancer:** (Pops out of nowhere and pats at Gemini's back a little TOO hard, causing her to lose balance) HEY GURL!!! What's wrong?!?! You seem to be a little cranky today!!!

**Gemini:** (Gets back up on her feet and glares at Cancer) WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!?! CAN YOU START ACTING MORE LIKE A GIRL FOR ONCE?!?!

**Cancer:** (Gulps) OMG!!! What have you been up to?!?! Are you on drugs or something?!?! OH MY!!! LOOK AT THOSE DARK CIRCLES UNDER UR EYES GURL!!! You look like you haven't sleep for DECADES or something!!!

**Gemini:** (Stares at Cancer and walks up closer to her) What ...do….you…..think??!?!

**Cancer:** (Swallows harder and back off a little) Well….ummm….are you…..on your….monthly cycle here?!?!?....

**Gemini:** (Narrows her eyes at Cancer)….Guess AGAIN!!!

**Cancer:** (Shrinks even more) W…well…..then….it must be the CAFFAINE!!!! Hehe….

**Gemini:** CAN YOU STOP SITTING ON YOUR BRAIN AND START USING IT FOR ONCE CANCER?!?!?! WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST WHOLE WEEK SITTING IN FRONT OF MY COMPUTER YOU FREAK?!?!

**Cancer:** …..Hum…..were you watching porn online?!?!

**Gemini:** NOOOOOOOOOO!!! YOU STUPID DUMB PATHETIC IDIOT!! I WAS WRITING UP THIS CHAPTER!!! AND I HAVEN'T SLEEP FOR 3 DAYS ALREADY!!! 

**Cancer:** OOOOOOOOH!!!! Darn!! And I thought you were watching Hentai or something!!! Oops, my bad, coz you know, you're hardly that diligent, and so I thought that you were either watching porn or you were hitting gay guys online and…..

**Gemini:** CANCERRRRRRRRRR!!!

**Cancer:** Oh oh, right right!!! Yea man, I know EXACTLY HOW you feel!!! It's all the readers' faults here!!! Yea, they really shouldn't have rushed us, their bad, their bad!!! (Nods her head repetitively)

**Gemini:** (Withdraws a little away from Cancer)…..

**Cancer:** ….Yea and they should have known better than to rush our GREAT and MIGHTY WRITER here huh…. (Looks directly at the readers' directions and points her finger at them)….Bad boys, bad girls!!! (Whispers to the audiences after taking a look at Gemini from behind) you guys should know that _she (pointing back at Gemini) can't take any pressures….and if you guys keep on rushing her, she will take it out __ME!!! So pleassssssssssse have some mercy on me people!!!! _

**Gemini:** Hey!! What are you saying there?!?! I can't hear a word!!!

**Cancer:** (Straightens up a little and turns back to Gemini) Oh nothing nothing!!! I was just giving the readers some lecture there!!! Anyways, why don't you go and get some sleep there Gemini!!! I'll take care of the rest here (smiles sweetly at Gemini).

**Gemini:** (Mumbles something to herself and walks towards her room)…..

**Cancer:** Sweet dreams, and don't let the bed bugs…..

_SLAP!!!_

**Cancer:** …..bite you…….WHEW!!! (Wiping the cold sweats from her forehead) 

***~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~***

**Chapter 14: Reunited Again**

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A figure, unmistakably a man crept quickly out of his room and into the night. The bright moon of the night highlighted the man's sea blue-green hair and his long braid flew behind him as he ran swiftly down the halls of the palace of Kutou.

He was running out of time, he had to get out of here before anybody discovered that he had escaped. Determination, anger and worry shone in the man's dark silvery-blue eyes. He couldn't believe Yui could have fooled him like this; he was an idiot to believe that she wanted to help him- to help Miaka… She had everyone fooled, especially Miaka. 

His heart ached at the thought of Miaka. He had made a promise to her long ago that he would always protect and be there for her. Now she was in danger, possibly dying from a deadly illness and he was all the way here in Kutou instead of being there by her side. He cursed himself again. He had to get back to her before he was too late. He didn't know what he could do to help her, but he had to be there to warn her, to warn everyone that the Seiryuu no Miko and her Seishi's can no longer be trusted. 

"Tamahome?!" a voice of a girl rang out through the night stopping the man in his tracks. Knowing that he had been discovered, Tamahome turned around to face a 15 year-old girl with short light sandy blond hair and large blue-green eyes. She was the chosen Seiryuu no Miko and Miaka's _supposedly best friend. _

"Yui" Tamahome answered impassively. 

The Seiryuu no Miko winced at the tone of his voice. His voice was soft yet it held a cold edge to it. "Where are you going?" she forced herself to ask calmly, although she already had a clue to where he was going to already. 

"I'm leaving" Tamahome answered calmly, not bothering for an explanation as he turned away to leave again. 

"No! You can't! Please!..." Yui cried as she grabbed hold of his arm to stop him from leaving. "Why are you leaving me?!" 

Tamahome turned around; his usually gentle expression was hard as he stared into Yui's eyes unforgivably. "You knew very well why" he answered coldly. "Stop acting Yui, I already knew everything. I overheard your conversation with Nakago. You had never planned on leaving with me when Miaka and her Seishi were going to save us from here were you? You had been planning **_against_ Miaka all this time because you believed that she had betrayed you? Didn't you?!" He said accusingly.**

Yui's eyes widened in shock but made no attempt to deny his accusation. She let go of his arm and stepped back. "I…I…" she stuttered. 

Tamahome glared angrily at her. "How could you Yui? How can you betray Miaka like this?! She is your best friend!" 

"**_'WAS'_** my best friend you mean" Yui shot back, her eyes blazed angrily with hurt. "It was **_'she'_** who betrayed me first, it was she who abandoned me in that horrible nightmare! I had been there when she needed me the most but where was she when I was raped by those men in that alleyway?! Tell me Tamahome? Where was she then?!" she demanded as tears flowed down her face.  

Tamahome's expressions softened a bit as he watched the girl cried as she was being tormented by the memories of her terrible experience. He didn't know how to answer the misguided girl. He put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched a little but did not pull away. "Yui" He spoke softly, "I'm sorry of what had happen to you, but you're wrong. I know Miaka had never betrayed you, she had never given up on you and she is finding a way to save us both as we speak. Please Yui, you have to understand that…"

"Stop lying to me Tamahome!" Yui yelled as she pulled away from his touch with her hands on her ears, refusing to hear his pleading for Miaka. "She **_'did'_** abandon me and that's the truth! So please stop trying to lie to me saying that she hasn't!"

Tamahome turned away from her in disappointment knowing that Yui was now hurting too much to listen to any reason he say. "I'm sorry you feel that way Yui" He replied sadly. "But I am leaving no matter what, Miaka needs me" 

"No! You can't leave! I…." Yui cried desperately, she didn't want another one she cared for to leave her again. She quickly took his hand and placed it upon her breast, wanting him to understand her feelings. "I love you Tamahome, can't you see that?!" she asked pleadingly. 

Tamahome was shocked by her actions. "Let go of me Yui" he commanded quietly. Dejectedly, Yui let his hand go. "You… you love Miaka that much?" she asked sadly, her bands covering her eyes. 

Tamahome turned away from her. "I'm sorry Yui, I can't fall in love with you. I'm already in love with someone whom I am devoted to, and this person is Miaka. That will never change." 

Yui felt her heart crumbled at his words. She had given herself to Tamahome and yet he chose to turn her down for… for _'her'. Her sorrow was once again consumed with jealousy and anger. "I won't let you leave" she said quietly, her voice devoid of emotions. _

Tamahome began to walk away. "You can't stop me Yui" he replied. 

Yui was about to grab hold of his arm again before he could go any further, however before she could, Tamahome collapsed on the ground struggling on the his knees as if he suddenly couldn't get up. "Tamahome?" Yui said confusedly, unable to understand what was happening to him to make him like this. 

Tamahome felt his whole body paralyzed as if he had suddenly lost all control of his body. "What the…." He managed the uttered. Dimly, he was aware that his whole body was glowing with a blue light. A sign that showed his body was being controlled by another force other then his own. 

"Yui-sama might be unable to stop you from leaving, but I certainly can" a cold impassive voice interrupted Yui and Tamahome's confusion. Yui was shocked to see no other than her strongest Seishi, Nakago behind them. _How _long had he been standing there? Had he heard everything?_ Yui thought as she stared speechlessly at her Seishi's sudden appearance. _

Tamahome's jaws clenched with anger at the sight of the Seiryuu Seishi. He glared at the glowing blue sign of _'heart' that was glowing intensively on Nakago's forehead confirming his suspicions that he was using his powers against him. "You…" he hissed angrily. "You're doing this to me" he accused referring to his body sudden paralyzed condition._

"Indeed I am" Nakago replied nonchalantly with a smirk. "I am not about to let a prisoner of Kutou escaped without the permission of Yui-sama" 

"Nakago, he was going to leave me" Yui cried dejectedly pouring all her problems to the Seishi who had earned her trust since she had first arrived to this world. "I… I don't want to give him up to Miaka, I can't have another leave me!" 

Nakago wiped her tears with his finger, the gesture was comforting yet his expression, as always was devoid of any emotions. "Please put your mind at ease Yui-sama, you still have me don't you? However, if you want Tamahome to be devoted to you, there is a way" 

Tamahome's eyes grew wide at the implications of Nakago's voice. He didn't know what twisted plan the man was conjuring in his mind, but he would bet all the money in the world that he was not going to like it. He had never trusted Nakago the moment he had met him, the man was manipulative and dangerous. However, unfortunately Yui was too blinded in her own grief to see this point. 

Yui's face lit up to Nakago's suggestion. "What do I have to do to make him stay?" she asked eagerly at the opportunity to make Tamahome stay by her side.

Nakago allowed a hint of a smile to show on his face before he held out a hand containing an object. Yui peered down on his hand holding the mysterious object. "A pill?" she asked confusedly. 

"It was made from strong Kodoku, are you familiar with curse magic, Yui-sama?" he explained

She shook her head. 

"By using it, you can control one's memories and manipulate their personality to anything you may desire. It's impossible to cure and you may use it on Tamahome to make yours, and make him despise the Suzaku no Miko instead" Nakago explained as he placed the pill on Yui's hand, silently taunting her to use it. 

Yui stared at the tempting pill on her hand. _Tamahome can love me? And forget everything he ever had with Miaka? Is this what I want? She asked herself. Even though she could have everything she had ever wanted with this single pill, for some reason, she was hesitating. _

"Don't do it Yui!" Tamahome's voice interrupted her private argument with herself. He was struggling desperately against Nakago's powerful chi that was controlling over his body. He was struggling so hard that his red symbol of _'ogre'_ was glowing furiously on his forehead, clashing with the blue glow of Nakago's powers. 

He panicked at the possibility of forgetting everything of being a Suzaku Seishi, his friends, family and Miaka, his love. No! He wouldn't let this happen to him! "Don't listen to him! Even if that pill works, my feelings for you wouldn't be real; my heart will always love Miaka no matter what my mind says!" 

"But at least, you will stay with me" Yui whispered sadly, the determination shining in her eyes once again. She looked at the pill once again and back at Nakago who stood there waiting expectedly. "I'll do it" she replied, her mind being made up. 

To Tamahome's horror, Yui proceeded to feed him the pill against his will. Yet he was powerless the stop her with Nakago's powerful control over his body. _Miaka_ his last thought filled with his love's smiling face before his world went black. 

Nakago smirked maliciously.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"TAMAHOME!" cried Miaka as she bolted from her make-shift bed as bolts of sweat poured down her forehead. Her breaths were uneven. For a moment, she stared out into the darkness of the room, forgetting where she was at the moment. 

"Miaka? Are you alright?" Nuriko asked sleepily yet worriedly as he tiredly rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His Miko's sudden screaming woke him up from his deep slumber. Before Miaka could respond, Hotohori and Mitsukake both ran into the room that she was sharing with Nuriko. "Miaka, what's wrong?" Hotohori asked worriedly, while Mitsukake watched distraughtly as well.  

Miaka stared at them unseeing for a moment before she remembered where she was. _It was a dream, a horrible nightmare! But it isn't real_ she thought as she sighed shakily. She smiled weakly at her friends. "I'm sorry I woke you all. Don't worry; it was only a bad dream" 

"About Tamahome?" Nuriko asked knowingly. Miaka nodded numbly. 

"For some reason, I dreamt about him drifting away from me and no matter how hard I tried to reach for him, I failed… It was horrible! I felt like he's in some sort of trouble!" she said feeling very disturbed by her dream. 

Hotohori, Nuriko and Mitsukake looked at her worriedly. Hotohori went over and embraced Miaka with encouragement. "Don't worry Miaka, we all missed Tamahome greatly but it was only a dream, so please don't distress yourself over it. We are all very close in finding the last Suzaku Seishi. After we find him or her, and figure out what to do with the problem of Tasuki, we'll rescue Tamahome from Kutou, you have my word" he promised her, his eyes shone with great sincerity. 

"That's right Miaka" Nuriko said smiling positively. "Don't worry about Tama-chan, I'm sure the big boy can take care of himself" 

"You should get some more rest Miaka, or else it will be bad for your health" the newest member of their group, Mitsukake advised gently. He was the one who had cured Miaka of her deadly illness with his healing powers. It turned out that he was a doctor from that village where they had been heading for after they left Mount Leikaku. She was lucky to have found him there or else she wasn't sure if she could have survived back then. 

_They're right; I have to remain strong, for everyone's sake. Tamahome and Yui are both waiting for me to rescue them. We're so close to succeeding now._ She thought feeling a bit better. She smiled at her friends. "Thank you guys, I'm really feeling better now, we should be getting some more rest since we still have a big day ahead of us" she said once again being her cheerful self. 

All the others nodded and said their goodnights before they left Miaka and Nuriko's shared room for the night. "Are you really feeling better now Miaka?" Nuriko asked one last time before he went back to sleep. 

"Don't worry Nuriko, it had only been a bad dream, nothing more." Miaka reassured him. "You better get back to your beauty sleep soon, or else you're going to wake up with dark circles under your eyes" she added teasingly. 

Nuriko huffed at her comment "I wouldn't worry about that since I look beautiful no matter what" he said good-naturedly with a smile, and he went back to sleep on his make-shift bed across the room beside her.  

Miaka copied his gesture as well and lay down on her own bed. _It's just a bad dream_ she reminded herself. _Tamahome and Yui-chan will be alright and soon we'll all be together again_. With that she fell back into a peaceful slumber completely unaware of the dangers that were to come. 

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Kayla sighed discouragingly as she sat on the bed waiting for Tasuki to come back with some supplies. Of all the things she could have done, she couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep when Tasuki was carrying her. Even though he did not complain about it, she was feeling guilty for causing him so much trouble. 

They were lucky to come upon another inn to stay for the night even though it seemed to be located in a middle of nowhere. However, an inn was an inn regardless of its location. It was a good thing that Tasuki had brought money with him wherever he go or else they wouldn't have been able to afford a room given that they had practically left their belongings back in that last inn.

Although the innkeeper had looked at them funny (seeing a guy carrying another guy on his back and all that) but he didn't say anything in particular, and he gave them their room without questions. Then Tasuki left her on the bed and went back out saying that he had to get some supplies, although he had not specified what exactly. Since her ankle was still sprained and unable to walk, she was in no position to complain. 

It was not that she wanted to complain. In fact, she was more than a little relieved that she didn't have to face him for the moment because… because….. 

She couldn't explain why. 

All she knew was that for the first time in her life, she didn't know '_how'_ to act around him. Something had changed and she couldn't figure out what it could be. She found herself feeling awkward being up close to him (at least _'more' than before) and not just because of the fact that she was a girl in disguise. Another thing she had noticed was that ever since Tasuki had saved her numerous times, she was feeling an incredible surge of fear and…. guilt._

She was feeling very guilty for lying to Tasuki and all her friends for so long. However, she was even more afraid of the consequences if they found out or specifically… if Tasuki found out about her secret. 

He hated girls and she was a girl, there was no denying in that fact. 

Even though she wished more than anything to stop lying, she was terribly afraid of being rejected again. She had already spent 5 years in anguish and if she were to lose all of her new found friends now because of her secret, it would be the final straw to break her already fragile soul. She would rather keep this secret from Tasuki and everyone for the rest of her life before she would let that happen. 

Yet keeping a secret this big was not easy especially from Tasuki. She was just starting to build a better friendship with the fiery Seishi. But, if there were things that she had learned from him, then those would be his undeniable loyalty and trust to his friends. Even **_'if'_ he could accept the fact that she was really a girl, he wouldn't accept the fact that she had been lying to him for so long. **

She couldn't remember how many times she tried to convince herself in the past to just leave everyone before it was too late. Ironically, when she had eventually left, Tasuki was the one to bring her back and ever since then she found it more and more difficult to gather the courage to leave again. 

It was like she no longer wanted to leave despite the incredible risks. She didn't want to give up her friends; friends whom she had been deprived the privilege of having since childhood. She silently cursed herself; she was a coward and she was being selfish. Why did she have to have such complications? 

Plus, staying with Tasuki for so long wasn't helping her either. She had too many things to sort out in her mind before she was ready to face him again. 

"I can't take this! I don't know what to do! " she cried out indignantly and without thinking; she angrily stood up from the bed in all her confusing frustration. She instantly regretted her thoughtlessness when she fell to the floor in pain as her ankle gave her a harsh reminder of her current condition.

"That was stupid" she mumbled to herself. _Great, now I'll have to lift myself back up on bed she thought sarcastically. _What else can go wrong?__

"Ummm… what the hell are you doing on the floor Kayla?" 

_Kuso! Spoke too soon_. Kayla cursed silently before she looked up awkwardly at Tasuki who stood there holding a number of indefinable items at the moment and staring back at her with confusion as well as with a hint of amusement. 

"Ummm…. I was…." Kayla struggled for an excuse for her embarrassing clumsiness. "I was…. I thought that I dropped something on the floor so I tried to find it" 

"And did you find what you're looking for?" Tasuki asked, even though his expression was unconvinced. 

"I…. I…. ummm…." She stammered. 

"What?" Tasuki continued with a smirk. 

"I fell ok?! I was clumsy and I fell, satisfied?!" She cried indignantly, tired of his mocking attitude. _Just what I need, an insensitive baka to criticize my mistakes!_ She thought miserably.  

When Tasuki didn't respond to her short outburst, she turned her attention away from him and preceded the slow and difficult procedure of getting back on the bed alone. 

She yelped in surprise when unexpectedly, she felt a strong arm slid around her waist and her arm being supported on someone's shoulder. "What do you think you are doing?!" She exclaimed in shock as she faced the owner of the arm around her waist, who was no other than the fiery Seishi. 

Tasuki gave her a look of exasperation. "Helping you what else?" He answered gruffly as he continued to help her stand on the ground. "Given the rate you're going at, you probably won't get on the bed until sunrise already". 

Kayla felt her whole body stiffened at the close contact between his body and hers. That awkward feeling from before was returning back in full strength. _I'm not ready to face him! I'm not ready! I'm not ready! I'm not ready!....._ She chanted endlessly to herself as she suddenly found herself being **_'very'_ conscious of Tasuki's strong arm around her waist. However as fast as the arm had been there, it was gone as she was settled carefully on the bed. **

She looked up at Tasuki uncomfortably but he was already sorting through the items in which he brought with him before. She tried to fight the rising blush threatening to show on her face. Tasuki looked at her for a moment before he went over and sat beside her on the bed. Then unexpectedly, he began to take off his outer blue coat. "W…What are you doing?!" Kayla stammered trying to control her voice from rising to a tone of hysteria. 

"My f*cking shoulder is bothering me so I have to do something about it of course" Tasuki answered wondering what Kayla was being all worked up about. The boy had been acting jumpy non-stop, questioning practically everything he did around him. He winced as his shoulder gave another sharp pain as he took off his white under shirt as well. His shoulder was really killing him.

Kayla instantly forgot about her nervousness for the moment when she remembered that bleeding wound on Tasuki's shoulder from before.  She realized the reason in why Tasuki had gone off before; it was to get some healing supplies to help treat their wounds. She mentally winced when Tasuki took off his shirt to reveal the nasty wound on his shoulder, it was no longer bleeding but it did look painful. "Let me help you with that" she offered without thinking after realizing the difficulty he would have in treating his own shoulder. _He wouldn't be able to treat it properly given the fact that he will have trouble reaching his wound, she reasoned with herself as she took the bandages and disinfectants from Tasuki's hands, and he at the moment was too stunned by her unexpected offer to object.  _

"W… wait! Hold on!...." it was now Tasuki's turn to stammered as Kayla practically forced him to turn his back towards her so that she could treat his wound. 

"Stop moving so much so that I could do this properly" Kayla persuaded as she carefully applied the disinfectant on his shoulder. Tasuki grimaced as his shoulder stung a little from the disinfectant and shut his eyes. They remained quiet; with Kayla concentrating on Tasuki's wound while Tasuki, himself was lost at thoughts. He was surprised by Kayla's soft, cool touch. He didn't expect this from the boy who seemed to have a habit of arguing with him all the time.

Although as much as his shoulder was hurting him, he couldn't help but to think of the time when he was treating Kayla's wound that he had gotten from saving the Suzaku no Miko from an assassin. 

It had been the first time that he had a chance to find out more about Kayla's past when he found the boy's scars on his arms. Tasuki couldn't overcome the protective feeling every time when he thought of the boy's scars. Each scar represented a moment when the boy had been abused. It was enough to make anyone sick in the stomach. 

It was true Tasuki had always fought with Kayla; maybe even make empty threats to the boy. But that was all they would ever be; just empty threats. He knew deep inside that he would never have the heart the hurt the boy. Hell, he even somehow made it somewhat his responsibility to look out for the boy and keep him out of trouble. How he had developed that kind of bond with Kayla was beyond him. He believed that even if he spends the next 10 years contemplating this mystery, he still wouldn't figure out why. _Damn these sentimental feelings, they're making me soft he scolded himself. _

"Tasuki? Tasuki?" Kayla's voice interrupted his thoughts and he turned around to see Kayla looking back at him curiously. "What?" he answered.

"I was calling you three times already. What were you thinking about?" Kayla replied looking a bit annoyed yet concerned at the same time. 

Unwilling to let Kayla know that he was the subject of his thoughts, Tasuki turned his head away in a huff. "None of your business" he replied rather gruffly. 

Kayla rolled her eyes, not at all surprised by Tasuki's unwillingness to share his thoughts. "Well _excuse_ me for asking" she replied sarcastically. "I just want to tell you that I'm done with your wound that's all" 

Tasuki turned to look at the wound and was surprised to see that it was wrapped neatly in bandages. He didn't even realize that the boy was already done with his wound. From the look of the neatly wrapped bandages, it seemed like the boy had treated wounds many times in the past before. 

"I used to treat my own wounds when I was hurt before, so this is nothing new to me" Kayla answered when she caught the questioning look on Tasuki's face. Although her face seemed uncaring of what she had said. Her eyes reflected the pain of remembering all the abuse she endured from her aunt and uncle in the past. 

Tasuki was unsure of how to respond to Kayla's comment as he caught the pained look in his eyes. Therefore he chose to pretend he didn't see it. "Thanks" he answered gruffly. 

"Your welcome"

Again they became quiet. "Well I'm going to sleep now" Tasuki said abruptly as he stood up from Kayla's bed and headed towards his own bed beside it. Without waiting for a response or putting back on his shirt, he just lay on the bed with his back turned towards Kayla, intended to get some rest before daybreak. 

Kayla was a little thrown off by Tasuki's quick change of attitude. One moment he was all solemn and quiet, the next moment he was obnoxious and now he was practically intentionally cutting her off. _Just what was he thinking about before? Kayla wanted nothing more than to pry the fiery-haired man for answers. But knowing that he would probably get annoyed and try to flame her with his Tessen, she rather not risk it. _

She sat there for a while staring at Tasuki's back contemplating. She was unsure of what was to come next for them in the future and it scared her a little. They had been travelling together for awhile and still they were unsuccessful in finding Miaka and the others. Not only that, but she had the misfortune to run into her uncle too and almost lost whatever freedom she had found for herself. 

It had only been a few days of travelling and she already succeeded in getting herself into a lot of trouble. She couldn't help but wondered if coming along with Tasuki with this adventure was such a good idea after all. However, she couldn't help but felt a small comfort that Tasuki would be there with her in this journey. His constant companionship had brought her ease at mind and she felt…. safe. It was a wonderful feeling. 

"Tasuki? Are you still awake?" she whispered uncertainly to the man sleeping on the bed beside her. When he didn't respond, she could only assume that he had fallen asleep already. "Whether you're asleep or not, I just want to say…" she paused awkwardly, yet a small smile touched her lips. "I just want to say thank you Tasuki, for saving me…. for everything you had done for me and for just being there" she whispered. She didn't know why she bothered saying it when he was obviously asleep and unable to hear her. However, she felt compelled to do so before she went to sleep as well. 

After this, she blew out the candle on her side of the bed and lay down on her bed. It wasn't long before tiredness consumed her as well sending her into a dreamless sleep. She never once noticed the man beside her was actually awake the whole time and secretly watching her as she lay in her peaceful slumber. 

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Tasuki couldn't figure out why in the world he was having so much trouble falling asleep that night. He spent the last hour tossing and turning on his bed with too many things on his mind for him to get a decent eye shut. 

It wasn't like he wasn't tired. Hell, he's f*cking tired to the bone and yet he couldn't sleep. Something was bothering him and he had too many things to think about. He turned his head to look at Kayla again on the other bed beside him. The boy certainly had no trouble falling asleep. He looked like he could continue sleeping even if the world suddenly came to an end. _Damn!_ Just looking at him made him wanted to go to sleep more and yet he COULDN'T sleep!

Much to his surprise, he was finding himself recalling the words that Kayla had spoken to him before he fell asleep. Despite what Kayla thought, Tasuki had been fully awake when he said those words of gratitude to him. 

_[I just want to say thank you Tasuki, for saving me…. for everything you had done for me and for just being there]_

He didn't know why yet he had felt a deep sense of satisfaction hearing those words coming from the boy, although he would be damned if he knew anybody found out about that! And yet…..  

Finally, unable to take it anymore, he sat up from the bed. Maybe he should take a walk or something to clear his head. _Or better yet, why not get some sake? He looked over at Kayla again who continued to sleep soundly. Should he go? He did make a promise to him… Then he cursed himself again. Why should he care what the boy would think in a time like this? It wasn't not like he would find out himself (not like he cared) and could actually stop him from getting what he wanted._

After nodding his head in confirmation of his little justification of himself, he headed out of the door being careful not to disturb the boy sleeping on the bed. Just a couple of drinks, enough to knock himself out to get some sleep he decided as he walked down the hall. 

He walked down the dark hall which would lead him to the stairs. Although all was quiet, he could hear a faint sound of other people who were also staying up late at night down at the little bar on the first floor of the inn. As he passed, he noticed one room in particular where the light was still on indicating that its occupants were still awake. Again, he dismissed the thought. After all, he couldn't be the only one who was awake at this hour of the night. 

"We are ready to attack the Suzaku no Miko at your given command Amiboshi-sama" 

Tasuki quickly turned at the sound of those words; it had unmistakably come from the room with the light he had passed by only moments ago. Did he hear right?! He quickly and quietly went up towards the room again and peeked inside through the crack of the door with morbid anticipation. 

Inside he was able to make out few figures (whom he could tell were actually men) dressed in black kneeling before another figure hidden beneath a cloak. From his perspective he could see that the figure of the man under the cloak whom was smaller than the one kneeling before him but nevertheless held the higher authority within the room. Tasuki tried to get a better look at the figure under the cloak, but it was no use. The figure with the cloak had his back turned towards him making it impossible for him to see his face. 

However if he had heard right from the beginning, then the figure with the cloak's name was Amiboshi, whoever he was. He listened intently and what he heard next made his temper flared. 

"Good, we'll ambush the Suzaku no Miko when she least expect it but we'll have to be the careful since her Seishi will be with her" 

"Yes Amiboshi-sama" the men replied to the figure (namely Amiboshi) with their heads bowed. 

Tasuki swore silently. There was no doubt about it now. These people are assassins planning an attack on the Suzaku no Miko, Miaka and this Amiboshi bastard was their leader leading this whole ambush!

He fingered the Tessen which as always was strapped reassuringly behind his back. Well, he wasn't about to let a bunch of assassins find the Suzaku no Miko and the others before he could. His Seishi instincts kicked in protectively as he reached for his Tessen ready to give the assassins inside an ambush of his own. He was about to barge in when suddenly his keen hearing heard another sound. It was the slight sound of footsteps coming his way. 

Quickly he hid in the shadows near the door that he had been standing before, not wanting to be discovered in case this was perhaps another enemy. 

He waited silently, with his Tessen out and ready to attack if he needed to. The footsteps came closer and soon he was able to see a figure walking slowly close to the wall in the dark hallway. It was too dark in the hallway for Tasuki to make out who it was but was able to tell that the figure was leaning heavily onto the wall for support as he or she limped closer. 

_Wait a minute! Limping? _He quickly realized who it was that was walking out so late in the dead of the night. The figure limped quietly down the hall and the bit of light coming from the room of the assassins illuminated his face confirming Tasuki's suspicions. It was Kayla.

_Damn! What the hell is he doing out of bed?_! Tasuki thought impatiently. He better do something quick before the boy get in trouble again.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kayla limped slowly down the darken hall, her sprained ankle was doing its best in rebelling against her persistence. She was starting to wonder whether coming out was such a good idea after all as she leaned heavily against the wall for support. 

She had woken up a few moments ago and discovered that Tasuki was gone, leaving her alone in the room once more. Despite the fact that it could be very possible that Tasuki had his own reasons to leave in the dead of the night. She couldn't help but worried and after waiting for quite a while for the fiery Seishi to come back, she grew more agitated with worry and decided against her better judgement to go out and look for him. 

It had proven a little more difficult than she imagined. Even though her ankle was healing for the better now, it still hurt to walk. She may be no stranger with the concept of pain, but that didn't mean that she was immune to it. _Well at least I **'can' walk**_ _now she thought evenly although this little optimistic thought did little to ease her frustration at the moment. __Just where hell is Tasuki? Who in their right minds would go off in the dead of the night especially after all that strain he had endured? She thought agitatedly thinking to how much Tasuki could be tired after carrying her for a full day without resting. _

Then she stopped dead in her tracks._ I couldn't be…. No! It can't be….. It's not like I CARE for his well-being…. Well… maybe a little…. But only as a FRIEND!! Nothing more, nothing less!! I'm just a little worried…. that's all… she thought slowly. She looked down the dark hall, seeing no sign of the fiery-haired man anywhere. She decided to go downstairs to look for him and if she didn't see him then she was going directly back upstairs to sleep. There was no point in straining herself any further if she had no idea where Tasuki had gone. Simple as that._

Suddenly a pair of strong arms seized her from behind with a hand over her mouth, muffling her scream. Her eyes widened in terror as the memories of her uncle capturing her replayed in her mind once more. She instantly struggled against her assailant, but his strong arms kept her still refusing to let her go. Her mind was screaming and she was struck with the familiar fear once more.

"Kuso! Stop it Kayla, it's just me!" a very familiar voice hissed agitatedly against her ear. Kayla once again gathered up her courage and fought her initial instinct to struggle. She forced her herself to register the familiar voice into her mind. When her body had finally stopped and relaxed just a little, she shifted her head to her right and saw her 'attacker' was no other than just Tasuki. 

_Just what the hell is he doing?! _She thought furiously, she would have said it out loud if it hadn't been for his hand still clamped against her mouth preventing her from yelling at him. As if reading her mind, Tasuki uncharacteristically shot her a stern look of warning and mouthed the words 'keep quiet!'

Seeing his serious expression, her anger quickly shifted to confusion. _Why is he being so secretive?_ She suddenly became very aware of just how close she was to Tasuki with her back against his chest. She could feel his breath against the back of her neck causing a slight shiver going down her spine although it wasn't out of fear or from being cold. 

She could feel the steady pacing of his heart against his chest or was it her own heart she was hearing beating at an abnormally fast pace? Although his hold on her had loosened, his hand remained on her mouth while his other arm was around her waist with her arms pinned to her sides to keep her from struggling. If his arm around her waist had been any _'higher', he would be firmly holding it against her_!_

_Oh my god!_ Kayla panicked as she felt the heat rising to her face at the indecent and dangerous thought. _This is wrong! He's too close! Too close, **TOO CLOSE**!_ Her mind couldn't stop screaming. If this keeps up, Tasuki was going to notice that something was _'different'_ about her supposedly _'male'_ body! Her body was tensed again, paralyzed with a sense of foreboding. 

Tasuki who had seemed oblivious with her body's reaction, had begun moving her along to the front of a door of a room where the light was still lit inside. Kayla, who had been too shocked, didn't resisted. 

"Look" Tasuki whispered as he indicated for her to take a peek inside the room before them. Curiously, Kayla did as she was told, although she felt uncomfortable spying on another stranger without reason. All she saw was a couple of weirdly dressed men in black talking together, nothing too strange. However when she heard the words 'Suzaku no Miko' being mentioned by the figure dressed in a cloak, her attention was instantly on the alert, no longer worrying about the position she was in with Tasuki. 

"We now discovered that the Suzaku no Miko's position is currently located in a small hut for the night within a small forest further down south from here. We'll attack when they least expects it" 

"Hai Amiboshi-sama"

Kayla shot Tasuki a look of panic; "We have to stop these people" she whispered urgently. Tasuki returned her look with an air of determination showing that he was reflecting her thoughts exactly. "Stay here" he whispered back as he started forward with his Tessen in hand, however he was stopped by Kayla's hand on his arm.

"I'm coming too" Kayla said, she refused to let him fight alone. 

"No you're not" Tasuki refused immediately.

"Why not?"

"You can't even walk!"

"Well there is no way I'm staying here while you go fight alone!"

"Stop arguing with me!" 

"Let me come and I'll stop arguing with you!"

"Stop being so stubborn!"

"I'm not being stubborn, you are!"

"NO I'M NOT!"

"YES YOU ARE!"

"Who's there?!" interrupted the men inside the room quickly distracting Kayla and Tasuki's argument outside the door. Apparently their argument had been a little _too_ loud and had alerted the men inside. 

_So much to ask for a surprised attack_ Tasuki thought as he promptly charged into the room instantly catching the men inside off-guarded with his speed. However the men weren't surprised for long and instantly fought back ferociously intending on getting rid of this intrusion.

Kayla on the other hand was fighting as hard as she could without the full use of her legs. Using the wall as her support as well as a protection against any surprised attack from behind her, she was able to block off most of the men who came after her. However, she wasn't able to inflict much damage upon them either. 

All of a sudden, Kayla was knocked to the ground by a heavy force. She looked up just in time to see a fist being swung towards her and quickly ducked out of the way causing the fist to barely miss her head. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she stood back up on her legs to face her opponent. It was the stranger under the cloak with a hood hiding his face in the shadows. 

From eavesdropping in their plan earlier, Kayla was able to recall that the figure standing before her now was the leader of this whole setup named Amiboshi. Kayla's eyes narrowed as she studied him, judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to possess a very large structure. In fact, his size seemed to be equivalent to that of Tasuki only maybe slightly smaller. Nevertheless, it was difficult to confirm anything with that cloak covering the man's whole body.

The mysterious man charged at her again and Kayla blocked his attacks with great difficulty, and no longer had a wall or anything to support her injured foot. It was only a matter of time before the figure pinned her down onto the ground and to Kayla's horror, he took out a dagger and aimed it above her chest.

_He's going to kill me!_ Kayla thought alarmingly as she was too shocked to do anything except to stare at the sharp blade being raised, ready to plunge into her. She shut her eyes and waited for the end to come. But the pain never came. Kayla opened her eyes again and found herself staring at the hooded face of her assailant. _He didn't kill me yet. She realized with bewilderment as she stared at the hooded face she could not distinguish. __What's going on? _

She could clearly tell this mysterious man was going through a great inner turmoil as she noticed the dagger hanging over her in his hands was shaking slightly. _He's…. he's hesitating to kill me? Why?_ She thought confusedly. 

"Get off of him you bastard!" demanded a voice and instantly Tasuki was by her side and punched her attacker in the face caught him by surprise and knocked him off her and to the other side of the room. "Are you okay?" asked Tasuki as he helped her back up. "I'm ok" she replied feeling a little shaken and confused. 

"I told you to stay put, you should have listened!" Tasuki said angrily looking very much annoyed with her now after he was sure that she had shown no visible signs of pain.

Kayla ignored his criticism as she looked distractedly back at her attacker and instantly gasped "He's getting away!" she cried. True to her words, the cloaked figure, Amiboshi miraculously had the strength to stand and jumped out the window along with a few other men and out into the dark streets below. 

Kayla wanted to go after them but was stopped by her painfully throbbing ankle which had grown worst when she strained it further during the fight. She gripped Tasuki's arm which was still holding her up. She gave him another look of dread, "They're going to go after Miaka and the others if we don't go after them!" she said anxiously. 

"How do you know?" Tasuki said doubtfully, not sharing her anxiety, "They might not attack tonight since we already beaten half of their men already" But Kayla shook her head disbelievingly. She didn't know why but she had a strong feeling that these men were going to attack her friends as planned no matter how many men were left behind. 

"Just trust me on this one Tasuki" she said urgently gazing determinedly into Tasuki's eyes. "I have a feeling that they are going ahead with their plan no matter what happens so we've got to go and find our friends in time to warn them!"

Tasuki looked as if he was about to object but in the end he breathed a sigh of defeat. "Ok fine, but YOU are staying here" he replied firmly as he saw Kayla's relieved expression changed into a look of protest.

"But_" 

"No buts Kayla, you're not coming this time" Tasuki interrupted Kayla's protest with a smirk. "As you know already, you can hardly walk and you're going to slow me down if you come with me" 

Kayla opened her mouth to object but then shut it again in frustration knowing that the irritating man had a point. _Humph! I hate it when he's right, but I don't really have a choice right now she thought indignantly. "Just promise me you'll get there in time then" she said quietly. _

Tasuki shot her his usual confident grin at her comment "You're forgetting who you're talking to here" he replied and with that, he jumped out the window into the streets as well on a race to get to get to the Suzaku no Miko and her other Seishi in time. 

He paused momentarily on the streets trying to decide where to go. If he had heard correctly, those assassins were saying that the Suzaku no Miko was located in a small hut for the night within a small forest further down south from here. So that was where he was going to head for and hopefully that his instincts in following Kayla's hunch had not been wrong. 

Kayla sat in the room on the floor as she stared out the window in which Tasuki had jumped out of. She prayed that he would get there in time to warn their friends, yet in her heart she knew that even though he had not promise her anything, Tasuki will do everything in his will not to fail. _When did I start having such confidence in that ignorant man? She thought surprisingly. _

"My room! What have you done?!" shouted a shrill voice bringing Kayla out of her musing. She turned to see the innkeeper whose eyes were as wide as saucers disbelieving in the scene before him. Kayla looked around her and for the first time noticed what a mess the room had became. Chairs were thrown to the sides; tables were splintered, dishes were broken and a few men lying around either unconscious, or dead. It was a total disaster! And it didn't help that she was there in the middle of this mess sitting on the floor. She gulped as she turned back at the innkeeper who glared suspiciously back at her. This did not look good. 

_Damn! How am I going to explain all this?_ She thought as a large sweatdrop appeared on her head. She should have persuaded Tasuki to take her along.

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Miaka woke up for the second time that night. However this time instead of waking up due to a horrible nightmare, she had been woken up by a peculiar sound. As she strained herself to hear more clearly, she was able to distinguish the sound as a flute being played.

_That's strange, why would anybody be playing a flute in this hour of the night?_ She thought curiously as she listened to the haunting yet beautiful melody. Carefully as to not wake Nuriko whom was still asleep across from her, she tiptoed to the doorway and out into the chilly night. 

She looked around to find the source of the flute playing but gasped at another peculiar, yet horrifying sight. Bats! Hundreds of them were hanging from a tree only a few feet from them. Although it seemed impossible, Miaka could feel all of their beady red eyes were trained on her giving her a terrible feeling of dread and foreboding. There was something very wrong here, she could feel it.

All of a sudden without any warning, the bats all flew down and attacked her. Miaka screamed in fright and pain as the bats bit her with their sharp teeth. Her vision was soon blocked by the scene of hundreds of bats and all she could think about was the pain. _I had to lead these bats away from the others,_ she thought desperately as she ran away from the hut that she and her Seishi were staying in, tried to lead the bats away. 

"Miaka!" Hotohori cried out when he saw Miaka being attacked by a hoard of bats. He, Nuriko and Mitsukake had all been woken by the sound of Miaka's scream. Miaka turned to see the terror on Hotohori, Nuriko and Mitsukake's faces as they rushed over to help her. Hotohori ran over to Miaka and tried to shield her from the bats with his own body while Nuriko and Mitsukake tried to fight off the bats. However, it was no use, there were just too many. 

"Lekkha Shien!" a powerful flame erupted out of nowhere burning away a few of the bats, but not enough to dissuade the bats. Surprised, Nuriko turned to the source of the fire. "Genrou?!" he uttered as he recognized the man whom he had met for a brief moment, a few days ago.

"Nice to know you still remember me" the fiery haired man answered with a smirk as he ready his Tessen again in another attempt to flame away the hoard of bats. "Lekkha Shien!" another burst of massive flame erupted and burned away the bats, but like before, it did little to dissuade the bats. "Kuso! Where are all these bats coming from?!" shouted Tasuki in frustration as he continued to flame the bats with his Tessen. But it seemed as many as he had killed, more bats seemed to emerge out of nowhere and all focused on the Suzaku no Miko and Hotohori who continued to shield her with his body. 

"I don't know, but we have to find a way or we're all going to be eaten alive!" Nuriko yelled back as he used a large tree branch to knock some of the bats. 

"There is something very wrong with these bats, like they're all being controlled by someone" Mitsukake confirmed as he fought the bats while at the same time tried to look around for the source that was manipulating the strange behaviours of these bats. Then all of a sudden a shrouded figure in black jumped down from a nearby tree. It was man with slanted dark eyes and an evil malicious grin. "That's right my pets, eat them all alive" he said as he laughed cruelly and watched the Suzaku no Miko and her Seishi suffering from his bats' wrath. 

"You f*cking bastard! Why don't you fight us face to face instead of letting these animals do your dirty work?!" Tasuki angrily challenged the assassin as he tried to charge at the evil man but couldn't do so within the swarm of surrounding bats. Nuriko and Mitsukake were both suffering from the same dilemma as well. Hotohori's beautiful face was marred with a look of fury as he glared at the assassin, but he was helpless as well as he tried to protect Miaka, who cried in pain as the bats continue to attack her.

"Pathetic indeed" the man sneered as he watched with malicious glee "The great Suzaku no Miko and her loyal Seishi are beaten by a bunch of bats". Everything was going according to plan and soon he would be rewarded for the death of the Suzaku no Miko and becoming the feared hero of Kutou. He was going to get what he so rightly deserved. 

Suddenly a high pitch sounded erupted everywhere drowning out the screaming and screeching of the bats everywhere. The assassin was shocked as he watched his precious bats began to lose control and started hitting into the trees and were instantly killed. "What…. What's happening?! AAAAHHHH!!!" He clutched his own ears in pain at the ear-splitting sound, he felt like his mind was going to explode!

Miaka and the others watched in shock and confusion as they watched the assassin clutched his head, screaming in pain. They could hear the high pitched as well and yet they weren't suffering in pain as this man was. What was going on? Where did the sound come from?

Then the man suddenly stopped screaming and fell motionless to the ground. Everyone became quiet after. All of them were unsure of what to do. Then cautiously, Mitsukake walked over to the fallen man and bended down to check the assassin's pulse. After a moment, Mitsukake shook his head. "He's dead" he said grimly as he looked down at the assassin whose face was contorted of horror and ears bleeding slightly. 

"What the hell?!" Tasuki exclaimed in confusion "What just happened here?!" No one answered his question for no one knew how to answer. 

"That…. That sound" Miaka said shakily as she tear her eyes away from the dead assassin, she didn't think she would ever get use to the sight of anyone dying before her eyes even if the person had been trying to kill her. "That sound killed this man and it saved our lives"

"But where did it come from?" Hotohori voiced the question that was in everyone's head as he helped Miaka stand back up and holding her close in case of any other unpleasant surprises shows up. However before anyone could answer his question, a sound erupted through the silence once more. However, instead of the piercing sound from before, this time the sound was soothing and more hauntingly musical. It was a sound of a flute being played. 

Miaka's eyes widened as she recognized the sound. It was the same music that lured her out into the night in the first place! She looked around for the source once more and instantly saw a figure nearby, hidden in the shadows. "Look!" she cried as she pointed to the figure. Everyone turned to where she was pointing and they all stared in amazement as the figure stopped playing his flute and stepped into the light of the pale moonlight where everyone could see his face. 

"You're… you're a boy?" Nuriko exclaimed in surprised as he stared at the younger boy who could be no older than Miaka herself (meaning about 15 years old). The boy had cleared gentle blue-green eyes and short sandy coloured hair held back by a bandana. He was tall yet not overly built but reasonably well-toned in structure. 

"You're the one who saved us?" Miaka asked as she stepped timidly towards the boy. The boy looked back at her with exhaustion. "I'm so glad all of you are alright and I've got here in time" replied the boy as he gave them a tired, yet relieved smile. "I am_" before the boy could finish his sentence, he collapsed to the ground.

Miaka and the others instantly rushed to him to see if he was alright. "Mitsukake is he alright?" Miaka asked worriedly as she watched Mitsukake examined their mysterious saviour.

"He's just suffering from exhaustion, nothing a little rest can't heal" replied Mitsukake with a smile. Miaka breathe a sigh a relief, and looked curiously at the unconscious boy at her side. The boy looked like he had been suffering for a long time. He was covered in scratches though none looked too serious or fatal and his clothes were worn and torn in all different places. Then something caught her eye on the boy's side that was hidden under a torn hole in the boy's shirt. When she inspected the little marking on his side a little better, she gasped in surprise. 

The marking was actually a red symbol of '_Ko' , which represented Chiriko, the last Suzaku Seishi they had been searching for. This boy whom saved them was the one! Miaka could barely contain her happiness. "He's… he's Chiriko!" Miaka could hardly control the shrill in her voice in excitement._

"What?!" Tasuki exclaimed disbelievingly, "This little runt is a Suzaku Seishi?!"

"THIS little 'runt' as you called him, just saved our lives" Nuriko answered pointedly as he looked at the red symbol Miaka was indicating. 

"Looks like he found us rather than we found him" Hotohori replied amusingly. 

"By the way, why are you here?" Nuriko asked finally after all the chaos had settled down as he turned to fiery-haired man beside him. "Aren't you supposed to be back in Mount Leikaku?" Everyone else turned to face Tasuki as well waiting for his explanation for his unexpected visit.

Tasuki smirked as he looked at their curious expressions. He guessed he would have to tell them sooner or later. Funny how things worked out and he was back with these people. People in which destiny had decided that he would swore loyalty to (he wasn't sure if whether this was a good thing or not). If it hadn't been for Kayla, he would have thrown away this destiny from the beginning. This reminded him…..

"DAMN!" Tasuki swore loudly ignoring the shocked expressions from the others by his unexpected outburst. He had completely forgotten that he had left Kayla back in that inn! 

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**Authors' Note:**

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**Cancer:** (Watching Bart Simpson and laughs like a lunatic) HAHAHAHAHHAHA!!! …….WHOAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!! HEEEEHEEEEEHEEEEEE!!!......  BWHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!......KAHAHAHAHA!!!.......

**Gemini:** (Walks out of her room and watching Cancer's absurd behaviour) Do you need to see a psychiatrist Cancer?!?!

**Cancer:** (Wiping her tears with her fingers) HAHAHAHAH!!! HAHAHAH…HUH?!?! What did you say Gemini?!?! Hahahahha!! Oooooh….uh no not really….why?!?! WHOAHAHAHHAH!!!! 

**Gemini:** Cause you need one!!! DUH!!! (Sits beside Cancer) Hey….I think we need to talk….

**Cancer:** Hahahhahaha….huh….talk?!?! Can we talk later?!?! I'm watching …. AH WHOAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!! 

**Gemini:** (Arches her eyebrows and stares at Cancer) …. Uh….Cancer…..You're watching Bart Simpson here ya know?!?! Not Jerry Springer….what's so funny about Bart Simpson?!?!

**Cancer:** HAHAHHAHAHA!!! It's just funny…and oh LOOK AT HOMER THERE!!! HAHAHAHHAHAHAH!!!! (Holding a pillow to her stomach and kicking her legs in the air)

**Gemini:** (Sighs) That's it….(grabs the remote control from the coffee table and turns off the TV)

**Cancer:** HEY!!!! WHAT THE……?!?!

**Gemini:** I said we need to TALK!!!

**Cancer:** (Blinks repetitively)……Ummm….ok sure!!! What's up?!?! What do you like to talk about BABY?!?! (Winks at Gemini)

**Gemini:** (Shivers and sighs) I just wanna talk to you about WHEN do YOU want Tasuki to find out that Kayla's actually a girl? Coz obviously the readers are getting ANXIOUS about that part!

**Cancer:** (Blinks and blinks) Oh….mmm good question…..well…..let me see…..(starring up at the ceiling and putting a finger on her lips)

**Gemini:** ok…..

15 minutes later….

**Gemini:** (Glares at Cancer impatiently) WELL?!?! 

**Cancer:** (Snaps back to reality) Oh…uh right!!! When huh? Well….mmmm…..I dunno!!!

**Gemini:** (Falls off the sofa and gets back up instantly) I THOUGHT YOU HAD CAME UP WITH AN ANSWER OR SOMETHING?!?! 

**Cancer:** I was thinking about something else, but anyways, back to the issue here…..mmm well just tell the readers to be patient and that we, the DEVIL TWIN GIRLS will have everything under control!!! Mmmmmm….tell them that Tasuki will find out about Kayla's secret SOOOOOOOOOON…..like…..maybe within 3 - 4 chapters or something!!! THERE!!! AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!! MAN I'm SOOOO SMART!!!! MUHAHAHHAHA!!!

**Gemini:** Then may I ask what were you thinking for the whole 15 minutes there?!?

**Cancer:** Well …. I was just thinking of whether I should add potatoes to the salad for tonight or not!

**Gemini:** (Sweatdrops)!


	15. Knowing Your Fears

Cancer: Hello readers! It's great to see you guys again. I hope we haven't keep you waiting for too long for this chapter to get out. Gemini and I…. (paused momentarily to look around) hmmm….  Where is Gemini anyway?

(Cancer looks everywhere and found Gemini asleep on her bed holding a plush toy of Tasuki)

Cancer: I can't believe she's sleeping and right before the opening of our new posted chapter too!!

Gemini: (drools over her pillow and mumbling words like 'Tasuki'…. 'Kayla'….. 'story must go on'….) 

Cancer: (sweatdrops) Wow, she's really out of it…. Hmmmm…. (An evil smirk appeared on her face)…. Well, I see that there is no disclaimer yet… well I better fix that!! 

**Disclaimer: We, Twin Girls do NOT own Fushigi Yuugi or it's wonderful characters. **

**            However now due to popular demand, Cancer will now own ALL of Gemini's collection of animes, 99% of the decision-making of this story, AND 87% of all of Gemini's secret supply of DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE!!! **

Cancer: BWHAHAHAHA!!!! Gemini can't stop me!!!

Gemini: (continues to snore)

To be continued…….

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**Chapter 15: Knowing Your Fears**

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Kayla had never really believed that she would ever have a chance to feel the warmth and comfort of having families and friends again other then those brief (yet sometimes awkward) times back in the Mount Leikaku stronghold or in the bittersweet memories of herself when she was still a little girl and her parents had still been alive.

However she had found herself to be proven wrong three days ago the moment when Tasuki had brought the Suzaku assembly back to the inn for her. 

At first Kayla had been nervous about meeting everyone even though it had been clear Miaka, Nuriko and Hotohori had favoured her as their ally and friend. However she was still nervous about the reunion completed with butterflies in her stomach. Yet despite her self-doubt, everyone had welcomed her into their group even though she wasn't a Suzaku Senshi herself or in anyway related.

If there was something Kayla had learned from that whole experience was to NEVER let Nuriko hug you when he gets overexcited. Poor Kayla was nearly crushed to death by the beautiful yet EXTREMELY strong Senshi when he saw her again at the inn. To her relief, Miaka had reminded Nuriko of his abnormal strength and the violet-haired Senshi had immediately let her go, apologizing profusely and explaining that he sometimes doesn't remember his own strength. 

Despite the fact that Kayla had been a little breathless, she had been very relieved to know that Tasuki hadn't been too thick-headed to remember that she had been still waiting back in the inn and had immediately brought the whole Suzaku assembly with him. She hadn't been sure how much more hassling she would have been able to endure from the innkeeper. 

The innkeeper had been ready to have her condemned to a lifetime of hard labour to repay for all the damages in the inn when Tasuki and everyone else had shown up. Upon seeing all the losses, Hotohori had generously stepped in and offered to pay for all the damages, plus an extra bonus that would keep the innkeeper more then pleasantly pleased. Kayla, who had been extremely grateful, had insisted that she would pay him back one day (although she had no idea how because the costs had been more money then she had ever seen in her own lifetime). However, Hotohori had made it clear that it was not necessary. Kayla could only wonder at this man's origin. Perhaps Hotohori was a merchant of some sort to be able to have so much money. 

After that, she had a chance the meet the two newest members of their group, Mitsukake whom Miaka had met in a village after their departure from Mount Leikaku. He was the healer who had saved Miaka from that mysterious illness from before. To her amazement, Mitsukake had healed her sprained ankle using his healing powers shortly after their brief introduction without a moment to lose. From their brief encounter, Kayla had found him to be a man of little words yet a man with a great heart who carries a very comforting presence to those around him. 

The last member found was Chiriko. To be more exact it was he who had found the Suzaku Senshi rather then they had found him. He had saved them from a hoard of bats sent by an assassin whom coincidently, Tasuki had been chasing in the beginning. That was how Tasuki was rejoined with his fellow Seishi. Kayla could only imagine the reactions he had gotten when he revealed his true identity of being the supposedly dead Seishi, Tasuki. Nuriko had hinted to her later that believing him to be a Seishi had been MORE then doubtful which made her almost laugh out loud. 

Chiriko. Though his appearance were somewhat boyish, his character was very mature for a boy his age even though he was one year younger then her. However, Kayla had found herself liking the boy immediately. He carried a very gentle presence with him; anyone who sees him could never picture or imagine him of ever hurting anyone except only for the purpose of protecting others he cares for. He had a boyish nature with a wonderful talent of playing the flute. Kayla enjoyed listening to him play. She couldn't explain it, but listening to him play allowed her reminisce old peaceful memories of the younger and happier life in her past rather then the more painful ones that usually haunts the back of her mind every waking and sleeping moment. Despite the fact that she was sure she had never seen the boy in the past; she couldn't shake the feeling that she had met Chiriko before under different circumstances. But she just couldn't pin point exactly where or when. 

Yes, she had been very wrong about never finding family and friends again. It was one of those rare times when she was glad that she had been wrong. She found herself extremely lucky to have found such generous people. Miaka, Nuriko, Hotohori, Mitsukake, Chiriko and even Tasuki, all had treated her with a fair amount respect as if she was one of their own. In addition to everything, she was going to meet Chichiri and Tamahome, who Miaka had enthusiastically emphasized were also very kind-hearted people as well and would welcome her. It was almost too good to be true. It was almost perfect…. almost that is…..

Despite the fact, she was feeling genuinely happy, at the same time, she was feeling very guilty. She still hadn't revealed herself as being a girl. Everyone whom she had met still believed she was a boy. She didn't have the courage to reveal something so important to friends to whom had given her their complete trust from the very beginning. She didn't want to betray this trust by revealing her little secret. 

Their views on her may change completely because she didn't have the courage to tell them the truth. Tasuki would probably hate her forever; everyone else would turn away from her. Then probably her uncle- if he didn't believe her to be dead after falling off that cliff- would find her sooner or later and she would be back to where she was in the beginning; lost and alone with her last thread of hope slowly deteriorating from being heartbroken. 

She wasn't sure if she was ready to risk it all.

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The first sensation Kayla had felt when she had woken up that morning was utter confusion, shock, and the peculiar feeling of being very WET! "What… what the hell?!" Kayla sputtered from shock as she sat up from her makeshift bed on the ground. 

She found herself being soaking wet from the top her head down to her waist. Her long dark bangs were plastered heavily against her face covering her eyes. She instantly brushed her hair away from her eyes with her hand and wiped her soaking face with her sleeves. How the hell did she get all wet?!

Then a surprised squeal interrupted her muddled thoughts from beside her and she turned to see Miaka in a similar predicament as her own. Like her, Miaka was also mysteriously drenched in water and she sat up sputtering in shock very much like how Kayla had woken up. When she had wiped the water from her face she also stared confusedly back at her asking the same question; 'what the hell had happened? How did they both get all wet?' They had just been sleeping peacefully when all of a sudden out of nowhere they were ambushed with water!

Then it happened. 

Laughing was heard everywhere. Laughing that sounded suspiciously too familiar. Kayla and Miaka both turned away from each other to face the perpetrators of their harsh abrupt awakening. Standing in front of them were Tasuki and Nuriko, both carrying buckets that had been recently emptied from water as little drops still hang from its edges. Both of them were laughing like there was no tomorrow. They weren't the only ones laughing though. The rest of the Seishi were laughing, Chiriko and Mitsukake were both doing a poor job of trying to contain their laughter. Even Hotohori who had disapproved of Tasuki and Nuriko's stunt, despite himself was chuckling at their shocked expressions. 

It didn't take long for both Kayla and Miaka to piece together the fact of what had exactly happened in their own minds. 

"Nuriko, Tasuki!! What is the meaning of this?!?!" Miaka demanded accusingly as she glared daggers at her two Seishi while Kayla- who was too angry for words- did the same as she glared at them, silently warning them to come up with a reasonable explanation for this practical stunt or else there was going to be hell to pay. 

Nuriko and Tasuki who had finally controlled their laughing, both smirked. It was kind of eerie seeing the both of them acting in unison with each other. Usually the both of them were arguing endlessly with each other almost as bad as when Kayla argue with Tasuki. Tasuki with his dislike in girls had always found something to argue with Nuriko (who after all looks incredibly like a woman). The feeling was mutual with Nuriko who always picked a fight with Tasuki because he thought the fiery Senshi was annoying and just extremely fun to aggravate.

"It was the only way to wake both of you sleepy heads up" Nuriko answered, as if it was most logical thing in the world and turned to wink at Kayla (who turned red in anger and annoyance). "I mean I knew Miaka was always a heavy sleeper but I was surprised to see that you, Kayla could be so difficult to wake up"

"WHAT!" Miaka and Kayla both exclaimed in shock

"I am NOT a heavy sleeper!"

"THAT'S your reason that we're drench in water?!"

Tasuki and Nuriko just burst in laughter again at their protests.

Kayla had just about enough. This was even worst then the time when Tasuki had given her that other so-called _'wake up call'_ earlier during her time at the stronghold. It had taken her nearly forever to get use to sleeping in the outdoors and now that she could actually manage to sleep peacefully on the outdoor grounds, they had to wake her up like this?! Oh he was going to pay for this. BOTH of them are going to pay! All she had to do was figure out how and wait for the right moment.

Sensing Miaka's anger and Kayla's thirst for revenge, Hotohori decided to step in before things became out of hand. "All right everyone, we should start packing our things now that Miaka and Kayla are both ummm… awaken" (Kayla and Miaka both glared at him) "We should be arriving back to the Konan palace by late afternoon if we get an early start today"

Upon hearing the prospect of finally arriving back to the Konan palace soon, Miaka forgot her anger momentarily in order to pack, eager to get back as soon as possible. She instantly made a mad dash for her bag in which she carried everywhere with her and took out a fresh change of clothes, comb, a towel and some unidentifiable items that had probably belonged in her world. "Chiriko, do you have anything for me to eat? I'm hungry" she asked enthusiastically as she carried her things. 

Chiriko smiled kindly and hanged her some food that he had been saving for both Kayla and Miaka since the rest of the Seishi had already eaten their breakfasts. 

"Thanks a lot Chiriko, you're the best unlike _'some people'_ here!" Miaka pointedly as she deliberately shot Tasuki and Nuriko a look, already digging into the food with record speed. Being wet had certainly not affected her appetite in the least. 

"I'm going to change" Kayla grumbled as she too, took out a fresh set of clothes (the only other set she had besides the one she was wearing). From what she had heard from Nuriko, Miaka was eager to get back so that they could rescue one of their Suzaku members, Tamahome (who was currently captured in Kutou). Even without asking, Nuriko was more then willing to share with her that Miaka and Tamahome were in love (causing Miaka to blush profusely, but however, did not deny any of it being true). Therefore, she wasn't too surprised with Miaka's great enthusiasm. 

Shooting Tasuki and Nuriko another '_I'll get you back for this, I promise you that' death glare, she walked off a fair distance away from group and to a clearing by a small pond. She chose a spot behind some bushes and a close distance by the pond so that she could check her reflection if she needed to. After checking to see if she was being followed or not, she untied her wet braid and began wringing her wet hair letting drops of water drip to her feet. _

After letting her hair loose freely to dry, she began to undo the sash on her waist that was used to keep her top on while muttering incoherent words at her bad luck. She could only be glad that only her top was wet so she didn't have to change her pants. Being careful with the bindings around her chest she slipped out of the wet top and began wringing her shirt like a wet towel letting the drips of water fall. After finding her top to be considerably dry, she took out the dry shirt that she had brought with her to change. 

It was a rather plain but comfortable light blue shirt with dark blue lining. It was one of the shirts that Nuriko had been kind enough to lend her given that she no longer had the clothes she had packed for this journey. Like the rest of the other clothes given to her, the shirt was still a little too big but definitely better than nothing. Sighing to herself, she slipped the blue top on and began fastening the sash on it. 

"Aren't you done yet?" 

Kayla screamed in surprised at the unexpected voice behind her. She quickly clutched the opening to her shirt tightly with her hands since she hadn't finish tying her sash yet. She turned shakily and angrily to the person behind her. It was Tasuki! He was stepping out of the few bushes that had been used in hiding her from view. 

Kayla clutched her shirt tightly together wanting nothing more than to run and hide. She hadn't even heard him coming up behind her! Of all the time to show up, he had to show up in the middle of her changing!! _Why the hell is he here?! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!!! Did he saw me change?!?!?! Oh Suzaku, please don't tell me he saw me change!!!!_ She prayed silently as she faced the man with a furious expression, even though she was scared to death in the inside. 

"T..T..Tasuki! What do you think you are doing, coming here from out of nowhere and in the middle of me ch…. CHANGING?!?!?!" She demanded furiously. 

Tasuki winced a little at her shouting "Damn Kayla! Stop shouting will you? You scream just like a girl" As if to make her situation even worst he continued to make his way closer towards her. 

"W..W..What did you see?" Kayla stammered nervously as she unconsciously stepped back, only to her dismay to find the pond right behind her. She was trapped! 

Tasuki looked back at her confusedly. "See? See what? What are you so nervous about?" He stopped right in front of her, studying her intently. "Why are you stuttering?"

"M..me? St… stuttering? N… no I'm not" Kayla denied as one of her hand clutched tightly to her shirt, while her other hand fumbled to tie the sash on her waist. 

His eyebrows arched in amusement. "Are you sure about that?" Tasuki asked. 

"O..of c..course I am! Y..y.. you didn't a..answer my question! W… what are you d..doing here?!" Kayla asked trying to control her voice. Even though Tasuki had told her he had seen nothing, his closeness was doing nothing to ease her nervousness. Kayla just wish he would at least stepped away from her and put a little more distance between them. He was just a little too close for comfort. 

"The others told me to check on you since you were taking so long" 

"O…oh. I… I'm almost done….You can leave now"

"Why?" 

"WHY?" Kayla exclaimed in disbelief "I'm still changing! I'm not done!"

"So I'll just stay here and wait for you" Tasuki said with a smirk. 

"You can't!" Kayla panicked as she struggled with her sash with her one hand. _Damn sash! Why can't I tie it properly?!! _

"Why not?!" Tasuki asked obviously not understanding her need for privacy. "You're a guy too so what are you so nervous about? It's not like I'll see anything I don't have myself" 

"Leave!" Kayla was getting desperate.

"Why should I? Unless…." Tasuki paused momentarily lowered his head so that his head was levelled with hers, his eyes staring fixedly into her own. Kayla felt her whole face flush under his intense gaze, for some reason. _Damn! Why do I always feel like this whenever he looks at me like that?! It's stupid Kayla!! Her mind screamed. However no matter how furious she was with herself, she couldn't look away from his intensive golden amber eyes. _

"U..un… unless what?" Kayla asked tensely. 

"Unless…." Tasuki paused in suspense. "You don't want me to see that scrawny little body of yours. There's probably only skin and bones, nothing to see at all" then he burst out laughing at his own little joke clutching his side. 

Kayla just stood there staring at him dumbfounded while he laughed. It was then she realized that he had just insulted her. Sure he was making fun of her being a boy and everything BUT nevertheless he had insulted her! _I'll show this jerk a scrawny body!_ She thought angrily, momentarily forgetting her nervousness. 

"Oh Tasuki, I should return that favour of yours" she called to the man with fake sugar sweetness in her voice. 

"What­ are you_Aaahhhhh!!!!!" Before Tasuki could react, Kayla swiftly and unexpectedly kicked him, sending him completely head-first into the water. 

"What the hell?!" Tasuki sputtered angrily as his hands and legs swung wildly in the water trying to keep his head above water. 

Kayla quickly took his moment of distraction to finish tying her sash around her waist. "That was for both the wake up call this morning and the 'scrawny' comment" She said satisfyingly, giving her sash a final tug in a secure knot. 

"Help!" Tasuki yelled panicking, waving his hands wildly. 

Kayla gave him a look of exasperation. "What are you doing? Get out of there now. The others are waiting"

"I can't….. I can't swim! Get me out of here!!" 

Kayla stared at Tasuki in disbelief. Then despite herself, she began to laugh. "You….hehe can't…haha swim?! HAHAHA"

"Stop laughing and get me out of here!!" 

Kayla couldn't stop laughing. It was just too funny! The almighty, arrogant Tasuki was afraid of water! So the fiery Senshi does have a weakness!

"Hey what's taking you guys so long?" another voice interrupted their brief moment of chaos. 

Kayla turned to see that it was no other than just Nuriko and Chiriko coming out of the bushes both carrying curious expressions on their faces at the scene before them. Kayla was laughing his head off while Tasuki was struggling to keep his head above water.

"What's going on you guys, everyone's waiting back there" Nuriko asked, looking at Kayla for answers when the boy had finally calmed down from laughing. 

However, Kayla just stopped laughing and without saying a word she headed back towards the camp site. At least she was able to pay Tasuki back for this morning's stunt, all that was left now was to pay Nuriko back, but that can come later. 

Oh revenge was sweet sometimes. 

Nuriko and Chiriko watched Kayla walked away casually. 

"I don't understand. What just happened?" Chiriko asked confusedly looking at Nuriko as if the man would know something he didn't know. 

"Who knows, but I think it had something with Kayla kicking Tasuki into the water" Nuriko answered as he watched Tasuki continued to splash wildly in the water.

"Help I'm drowning! I'm DROWNING!!"

"You do realize that Kayla might decide to get you back for this morning's stunt just as he did with Tasuki just now" Chiriko warned the violet-haired senshi while ignoring Tasuki's cry for help. 

"I wouldn't worry too much about that right now" Nuriko said nonchalantly.

"What the hell are you two standing there for?! I'M DROWNING HERE!!" 

"Ummm….. Tasuki?" Chiriko said hesitantly as he and Nuriko finally turned their attention to the drowning Senshi. Both with sweatdrops on their forehead as they stared at him

"WHAT?!" 

"How can you be drowning? The pond is only knee deep"

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If there was ever an expression for total amazement, confusion, surprise and shock all mixed together into one, it would be the one expression that Kayla was currently carrying as she stared at the Konan palace before her. Never in her whole 16 years of living had she seen a place this big or this extravagant. She had lived in small villages all her life, even the stronghold back in Mount Leikaku had been nothing compared to this. There was really only one word to describe it.

"Wow" Kayla breathed as she admired the grand structure before her. Everyone else was pretty much the same way as she was. Well… almost everyone.

She looked back at the others. Miaka and Nuriko were the only ones in the whole group who didn't seem surprised at the sight of the palace. In fact, Nuriko looked rather amused as he watched her expression. 

"Now this is what I call high living, what are we waiting for? Let's go inside" Tasuki was the first to break out of his reverie. Without waiting for anyone to respond, he was already walking towards the entrance of the palace. Kayla was about to stop him when….

"DAAAAA!!!!!" a voice suddenly cried. 

Kayla was startled when a man with light blue hair and a strange cheery face popped out of nowhere, surprising Tasuki so badly that it caused him to fall back on his bottom. 

"Chichiri!" Miaka cried out happily to the strange man. "It's so good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you too Miaka no da" responded the strange man. 

Kayla observed the man closely ignoring Tasuki's angry complaints of being ambushed. She realized that this man was actually a monk judging from his clothing and the staff he carried in his hand. He seemed to be older than any one of them (about in his early 20's), yet the cheery face that seem to be etched across his features seem to make him look even younger. _So this is Chichiri? What a strange man thought Kayla fascinated as she looked closely to his face. There was something odd about his ever-smiling face. Yet she couldn't exactly say why though. _

Then Chichiri looked back at her and their gaze met for a moment. Having been caught staring, Kayla quickly looked away feeling a bit embarrassed. Chirchiri just smiled welcomingly. 

"I see that you have found the rest of the Seishi, good work no da!" Chichiri exclaimed enthusiastically. Then his expression became a little confused (or as confused as his cheery face could formed) "I know we're suppose to find three more Suzaku Senshi, but I see four new faces no da. Which one is which?" he asked voicing his confusion. 

"Oh right! I forgot you probably don't know who's who yet Chirchiri" Miaka said sheepishly with a hand behind her head. "This is Mitsukake, Chiriko and Tasuki" she said as she pointed to each Seishi as she introduced them individually. 

Mitsukake and Chiriko both nodded smiling back at the friendly monk in response as Miaka told Chichiri how she had found them. However Tasuki just grumbled quietly. Having just been caught off guard by the monk's sudden appearance from the beginning had obviously bruised his ego a little. 

Kayla, suddenly feeling a bit self-cautious and uncertain began to hide herself a little from view behind Tasuki's tall figure. Although it had didn't seem possible, Kayla could somehow sense that there was something very mysterious about this monk, Chichiri. It was as if his cheery face was a mask hiding his true self deep within. Hiding the powers he holds inside. It was almost as if he would know her secret if he study her long enough with his cheery yet perceptive gaze. 

Without realizing her sudden hint of shyness, Miaka had already dragged her out from behind the safety of Tasuki's shadow by the arm and guided her to stand before the monk (_I guess you can't really count on Miaka on being the insightful one _Kayla thought half-irritated and half- nervously). "And this is Kayla, he's a good friend of Tasuki. He's a really strong fighter also and he saved me once when we first met" Miaka said as she introduced her proudly to Chichiri. 

Kayla blushed a little at Miaka's comment. She wasn't use to people complimenting her. It was just something that doesn't occur that often and it usually makes her feel somewhat uncomfortable. "It's nice to meet you Chichiri-sama" she said politely bowing awkwardly for she was unsure in how to address a monk properly. 

Chichiri smiled. "It's nice to meet you too Kayla. Please, just call me Chichiri no da" Then to Kayla's surprise, he put a hand on her shoulder in a friendly gesture. "And thank you, for helping to protect our Miko no da" 

Kayla smiled back, more relaxed this time. Chichiri may have something secret hidden behind his cheerful exterior, but she decided at that moment, he was someone she could trust along with the rest of the Suzaku Senshi. He was someone that radiated of great amount of wisdom for someone so young. 

"How the heck did you appear out of nowhere all of the sudden?! What are you?! A ghost?!" Tasuki cried out all of a sudden as he glared somewhat irritatingly at the mysterious monk. His outburst had broken the friendly moment between Kayla and Chichiri. Kayla had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation. Really, didn't Tasuki ever learn the meaning of being SUBTLE** sometimes? Then again…. This was TASUKI she was talking about, so being subtle was obviously never in his status. **

Luckily, Chichiri just smiled at the fiery-haired man standing before him, completely unaffected by Tasuki's abrupt question. "I was a pupil of the guardian of this world, Taiisuken no da. Therefore, I know many forms of magic that was enhanced with the ability of being a Suzaku Seishi" 

Then to everyone's amazement, the monk disappeared into a cloud of smoke and in his place stood another Tasuki! "You could also say that one of my most useful skills would be transfiguration no da!" 

"Kuso! What the f*ck!!" Tasuki swore as he stared back at the identical amber eyes of his twin with shock. He had been so startled that he stumbled back a few steps almost tripping and falling on his bottom again. Unlike Chichiri/Tasuki's whose expression was filled with mirth, Tasuki, himself had found this anything but funny. 

Kayla and the rest of the group stood dumbfound at the sight of two Tasuki's. The resemblance between them were astonishing, everything was the exactly identical from Tasuki's clothes and beaded jewelleries right down to the smallest detail of his fiery red hair, his smirk and his amber eyes. Kayla stared back and forth between the two Tasuki. It was impossible to tell the difference the real one and the fake one. Obviously, Chichiri skills in magic were nothing to be taken lightly in if he was able to change his entire form so easily like that. 

Chichiri/Tasuki smirked and once again turned into a cloud of smoke and was replaced with the smiling monk once more. "I'm sorry if I scared you Tasuki no da" Chichiri said and gave slight bow in apology. However, Kayla was able to catch a slight hint of a mischievous smile on his face, but couldn't be sure since he always seems to be smiling. 

"Who said I was scared?! You just caught me off guard!" Tasuki cried trying to retain whatever pride he had felt he had lost. His complaint was cut short when a giggling was heard and everyone turned to see Miaka with her hand covering her mouth trying to hide her laughter. Everyone stared back at her. 

"I'm sorry Tasuki, I didn't mean to laugh" Miaka said in between her giggling. "It's just that it was so funny and it's been so long since I've seen Chichiri pull a stunt like that" and she finally burst into a fit of laughter. Then not too long after, Kayla joined her as well as everyone else. Even Tasuki laughed a little saying that a stunt like that would have scared the crap out of his fellow bandits back in the Leikaku stronghold. Kayla laughed until her stomach began to hurt. It had felt wonderful to laugh, even if it was because of something so silly. It was a wonderful and carefree feeling to laugh with all her friends around her. _So this is what it truly feels to have such good friends_ she thought contentedly. Upon thinking about her friends, she finally noticed something that she hadn't noticed earlier. "Where's Hotohori?" she said, voicing her question. 

Everyone who had heard her finally calmed down in laughing and also looked around to find her words to be true. The Suzaku Seishi, Hotohori was missing. However, Miaka, Nuriko and Chichiri seemed unconcern with his disappearance. "Oh I wouldn't worry about Hotohori-sama, he is perfectly fine right now" Nuriko said devotedly waving off their concern. 

"Why the hell would you say that?" Tasuki questioned eyeing the violet-haired man suspiciously. 

"And why do you keep calling him, Hotohori-'**_sama_**'?" Kayla asked as if she had finally noticed this peculiar habit for the first time for so long. Since the title 'sama' had always been used as a title for someone of high importance or high status. She suddenly recalled the time when Hotohori had paid for all the damages in that inn when they had came to rescue her from that place. "Is he a rich merchant or something?"

"You mean you haven't figured it out yet?" Nuriko asked with mock amusement. It was easy to tell he was enjoying the look of confusion on their faces. 

"Figure what out, Nuriko?" Chiriko spoke for the first time voicing his confusion as well. 

However, Nuriko never had the chance to answer him. For soon a very familiar regal voice interrupted their little discussion and all of their answers had been answered. 

"Welcome to Konan, Suzaku Seishi. I am the Emperor of Konan" 

Everyone turned, and there before them stood the Emperor of Konan. He was dressed in the royal robes of the finest silk. He stood with a high air of imperial power…. yet radiated with an aura of kindness, wisdom and understanding. It was a breathtaking sight. However it wasn't only because of his regal presence that had took Kayla's breath away. 

"Hotohori" she whispered as she stared back at the familiar face of the handsome man with the gentle brown eyes and silvery-brown hair. It was without a doubt that the imperial man standing before her was Hotohori. It took her a minute before she registered the fact into her confused mind. Hotohori was the emperor of Konan!! He was the same Hotohori whom she had met under the worst circumstances. The same man whom she had called a baka because he had accused her of attacking Miaka. The same man who had almost killed her on their first encounter under grave misunderstandings. This was the man who had become her friend and also happens to be the Emperor of Konan. She swallowed nervously and looked around. Tasuki, Chiriko and Mitsukake all stood somewhat dumbfound at the Emperor before them. Hotohori faced them with a kind smile and an amused glitter in his gentle eyes. 

_Well… she thought nervously, laughing silently in relief. __At least I'm not the only one who had been totally clueless about this whole thing._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yui sighed contently as she laid her head against chest of the man she had fallen in love with ever since she had first laid eyes on him. She wished for this moment to last forever, to stay forever in the arms of the man she love. She had never believed in love in first sight. _But this is different_ she thought as she looked up into the man's piercing silvery-blue eyes. _He's different. Tamahome defies all logic and for that I'm grateful _She smiled again and lay her head back down on his chest. Tamahome didn't complain and only tighten his hold around her protectively. 

_Even if he really doesn't belong to you Yui?Her inner conscience spoke to her bringing back that nagging feeling in her heart. Yui stubbornly forced the sinister voice back to the darkness of her mind. She refused to let this end. Not when things were finally going her way. Not when she was feeling happy for the first time ever since she had first laid foot on this god-forsaken world. _

"Tamahome" she murmured as she lifted her head again to face the man holding her. 

"Yes Yui-sama?" Tamahome answered affectionately to his priestess's call. 

"Promise me that you won't leave me ever again" Yui said, her eyes begging pleadingly expressing the loneliness she had suffered for so long. 

"Of course Yui-sama" Tamahome answered without a second thought as he placed a tender kiss on her forehead in assurance. "I would never leave you. I would kill whoever will hurt you ever again" 

Yui smiled happily again, this was what she had wanted. Even though she was having difficulty with the slight guilt in the back of her mind, she would not back down now. She would die first before she let it happen. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt you Yui-sama" a deep familiar voice interrupted the couple and Yui gave a slight blush at being seen in such an intimate position with Tamahome. _Don't be silly girl! You were just embracing him that's all. There is nothing to be embarrassed about! Her mind mentally scolded her. She turned to the owner of the voice, breaking the contact of the embrace. "What is it Nakago?" She asked as she faced her most trusted Seishi, the one who had saved her in the alleyway on that dreadful day. __Or saved what was left of me her mind cynically added, she closed her eyes in moment of pain. That terrible day was going to haunt her till the day she died. _

Nakago caught her small moment of pain and smirked inwardly. _She really has no clue he thought amusedly. She **_knew_ that the affections Tamahome was now displaying so openly towards her were only because of the effects of the strong Kodoku they had given to him a few days ago. She was a foolish girl to allow herself to bathe in such lies. The truth was staring her right in the face, yet she was too blinded to see them herself. However if she choose to stay in this little idealism, it was her own choice. **__It will be her downfall he thought heartlessly. It was better for him this way. It made everything so much more easier. _

 "Are you feeling well Yui-sama?" he asked with whom everyone else would have mistaken as a tone of concern. 

Yui smiled slightly completely fooled by his act of charade. "I am fine Nakago, you don't have to be concern. Why are you here?" 

"I came because I had something to discuss privately with Tamahome" Nakago answered, hiding his amusement at the girl's innocence. 

"Tamahome?" Yui was confused as she stared at the handsome blond man for answers, yet the emotionless facial features of the cold man gave her none. "What to you want to speak with him for?"

"I'm sorry Yui-sama, but I can not reveal the details to you yet" 

"But…" Yui protested, she didn't want Tamahome to leave. However before she could go on further, she was cut short when Tamahome hugged her from behind in a comforting manner, easing all her worries. 

"Don't worry Yui-sama, I will return to you" Tamahome whispered affectionately in her ear, causing a small shiver of excitement to run down her spine. Yui nodded, unable to find the words that had suspiciously disappeared in the hollow of her throat. She remained silent as she watched Tamahome left her room to follow Nakago out the door. She silently preyed to the god of Seiyruu, that now that Tamahome was hers, he would keep his promise to her and return to her as soon as possible. 

_Miaka__, you can't win this. I won't let you!_

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Kayla woke up covered in sweat. She had dreamt about her parents again and to her, it had seemed worst then before. She couldn't remember the small details of her dreams for most of it had been blurry and unclear. However, she could still remember the feelings of love yet sorrow she had felt when her parent had appeared before her. It was a wonderful, yet torturous feeling. To see the people whom she had missed so terribly but cannot reach them no matter how she tried. Although the dream hadn't been real, her emotions were true. The despair that she was still feeling now after the dream was as real as any mortal wound to her heart.

_I'm surprised that I haven't gone insane yet from all these restless dreams for the past 5 years she thought ruefully. She looked out across the room she was staying in since she had arrived to the Konan palace yesterday. _

She was surprised to find that the sun was already setting marking the end of the second day she had stayed here. The setting sun cast a soft orange-golden glow in her room making everything seemingly surreal. It was the most extravagant room she had ever had the luxury of staying in with its comfortable bed, expensive dark oak furniture completed with fresh flowers in a vase. Nevertheless, she suppose she shouldn't be too surprise with the extravagance of the room, after all she was in a palace. However, she didn't have much chance to explore her surroundings. The minute she had stepped into her given room, she had succumbed immediately to the wave of exhaustion (not realizing how tired she had really been in the beginning) and without a second thought, she fell asleep on the bed for once not giving a care in the world. 

_I can't believe I had slept for so long! I must have been even more tired then I had _realized_ she thought as she gotten out of the bed and placed her shoes back on. She slowly walked towards the table in the middle of her room and sat down in a slight daze. _Maybe I should look for the others afterwards to see what the plans are_ she decided as she stared at the lighted candle on the table. She realized that she really had no idea WHERE exactly the rest of the others are or where their rooms are located. She hadn't been exactly paying attention when the palace servants had led her here to this room. Besides it wouldn't have helped either if she WERE paying attention. The palace was like a maze of endless hallways!_

_I guess I have no choice but to ask for directions when I set out to find them she decided. She sat there in a sudden daze as her previous dream came crashing back to her. Her heart sank at the pain and to her utter dismay; she began to feel the rising sting of tears threatening to fall from her eyes. __Kayla don't you start to cry now! It was just a dream just like it had been for the past 5 years! Get over yourself! Her mind scolded her. However her heart refused to yield to her mind. __How can I get over myself if the pain is still so real? _

Kayla groaned and placed her head on the table in grief in an attempt to stop her conflicting thoughts. For moment she succumbed to the silence of the room until she could force her tears back. She lifted her head and looked at the tea set that had been placed on the table (most likely by one of the servants while she had been asleep). Feeling that a cup of tea would soothe her conflicting emotions, her hands reached out to take a delicate looking cup and placed it before her. She was about to pour herself a cup of tea when her gaze caught something that was in her cup. It was a black little thing and her dazed little mind had trouble acknowledging what this little thing was. Unfortunately when her mind did registered what this little creature with eight legs was, her whole body froze, her face grew pale and her amber eyes grew wide with fear. She had been so startled that she dropped the kettle that she had been holding in her hand. The crash erupted through the silence of the room and was soon followed by a scream that Kayla didn't know she had been holding.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tasuki yawned as he walked down the hallway. Damn, he was tired. He hadn't been able to get much rest during his stay here. He had just finished talking with the rest of the Seishi about the plans to rescue Tamahome. However, nothing was going as planned. Chichiri had been trying to contact Tamahome in Kutou with his magic but so far for some reason, Tamahome hadn't been responding. Miaka had became terribly worried and even began to cry much to his dismay. _Girls_ he thought irritatingly _they're always way too emotional and sentimental_. 

He had been one to volunteer to accompany Miaka and Chichiri to transport to Kutou to rescue the last Seishi when the time comes. He had heard that this Tamahome was a skilled fighter which had been enough to peak his interest. He was anxious to get some action. He yawned again. Then again, if he was to be in top shape when the time comes, he had better get some rest first. 

He headed tiredly for his own room (luckily he was able to remember where it was since the palace was like a complete maze). He passed by Kayla's room in which he knew was only a few doors away from his own. He paused momentarily in front of Kayla's room wondering if he should see what the boy was up to. He raised his hand to knock, only to hesitate momentarily before actually knocking. He shook his head. _Why do I want to see him? It's not like I have anything important to talk to him about. He lowered his hand and turned to continue towards his room._

He finally reached his room and was about to step in when suddenly a scream interrupted his thoughts. It took him a moment to realize who the scream belonged to. _Kayla he thought _damn, he really does sound like a girl when he screams_ he thought with half amusement and half panic. Taking out his Tessan from its protective sheath behind his back, he quickly ran back to Kayla's room thoroughly convinced that the boy must be in grave danger. However, just as he was about to charge into Kayla's room. Kayla, himself ran out of the room nearly colliding with him. Luckily he was quick enough to catch the boy before he sends them both falling down to the ground. _

Yet, Kayla had hardly noticed that he was there. He just continued to struggle against him as if whatever was inside his room was going to come outside and attack him. "Damn! Kayla calm down would ya!" Tasuki ordered as he tried to keep the boy in his arms under control. Kayla seemed to snap out of his panic and look up at him in surprise. 

"T… Tasuki?" Kayla whispered as she stared back at the man's face before she remembered the horrible creature in her room. She began to panic once more and hastily broke out of his arms. She pinned herself against the pillar that was opposite to her door, breathing heavily. "In…. Inside!!!" she uttered out before she had trouble breathing again. _Calm down Kayla, calm down, calm down…_ she chanted silently to herself as her eyes were glued to entrance of her room in utter fear. 

Tasuki stared at her for a moment before he stepped into her room with his trusty Tessan in hand ready for whatever evil being was inside. After a moment, Tasuki came back out with a confused yet irritated expression on his face. "What the hell did you scream for? There's nothing inside, you sounded like there were a hundred f*cking assassins in there with you!" 

"I…It's a h… hundred times w…w… worst than that" Kayla stammered in fear, her eyes still glued to the entrance. _Oh god oh god oh god! How the hell did that THING get in there?!_ Her mind screamed.

"What is it?!" Tasuki demanded, he was very confused now. 

"S… sp…." She stuttered.

"Spies?!"

She shook her head.

"Then what is it?!"

She took hold of what was left of her courage and spit out the vile word. "Spider!" 

Tasuki stared at her for moment unable to register what she had said into his mind. The expression on his face changed from irritation, to confusion, to surprise, then finally amusement (she didn't believe she had ever seen a person change to so many expressions in such a short amount of time). To her utter dismay, he began to laugh. 

"What are you laughing about?" she asked in an irritated tone.

"Y….you're… HAHAHA… afraid of _SPIDERS _?!?!?!" Tasuki managed to sputter out in between his laughing. He clutched his side in pain from laughing so hard. 

"So what if I am?! What's so funny about that?! Kayla responded indignantly feeling her pride slowly diminishing. _Just great_ she thought bitterly _now that he knows my weakness he's never going to let me live this down._ Unfortunately for her, Tasuki had chosen not disappoint her.

"I can't believe it! Of all the things to be afraid of, YOU are afraid of little, helpless, eight-legged insects!" Tasuki cried out in great mirth ignoring the cold glare Kayla was giving him. He was about to say some more before Kayla hit him across the head much to his annoyance.

"Just to get it across your head!" Kayla said angrily, her amber eyes flashing. "For one thing, that was NOT a _'little'_ spider, it was HUGE! Second, they are NOT _'helpless insects'_, they are UGLY and DISGUSTING! And third, it's not like YOU'RE any better since you're afraid of water!!" she pointed out emphasizing the last point. 

Tasuki stared at her slightly taken back for a moment. However the fire burning in his own amber eyes were soon just as fierce as her own. "At least my fear is reasonable since I lived in the mountains practically all my life" he argued fiercely "Your fear for spiders is just plain f*cking pathetic and senseless"

"Pathetic?! Senseless?! How dare you!" Kayla yelled, feeling her temper getting the better of her. _Calm down Kayla, he's not worth losing your control over with. Don't give in, don't give in, don't give in..._

"What's the matter? Can't think of anything else to argue with me? That is so unlike you! Lost your guts and afraid you're going to lose to me?" Tasuki smirked catching Kayla's moment of inner struggle. He didn't know why he was baiting the young boy like this, but for some reason, things were just flowing out of his mouth like he had no control over in whatever he was saying. Maybe he was trying to pay Kayla back for kicking him into the water from before. Whatever the reason was, things were becoming more and more severe. 

Kayla's glare grew colder as she heard Tasuki's conceited comment. _Screw self-control!! He's really pushing it!! "You baka!! I can't believe what a jerk you are! I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I decided to come with you in the first place!!"_

"Then why don't you go back?! Oh yeah I almost forgot, you don't really have a place to go back to except the stronghold, but then again, Mount Leikaku isn't really your home is it? You don't have anywhere to go!!" Tasuki eyes widen in shock and instantly regretted the moment the words came out_. Tasuki you f*cking idiot!! Why the hell did you say that to him?! His mind screamed. He watched Kayla's face paled at his last remark. _Damnit___ Suzaku! What the hell came over me?!?!_

Kayla couldn't believe her ears! She knew Tasuki was usually insensitive and crude most of the time. But this time he had gone too far!! He KNEW that this was her weak point. _I have nowhere to go…. Damn!  Don't I already know that already?! Why did he have to spit it out in front of my face?!?! _ It was a heartless thing to say, it was cruel beyond anything. _I won't let it bother me, I won't let it consume me… I won't let it… I just won't….._ but her heart failed her and she felt herself began to crumble under those harsh, selfish words from the man she had thought she could trust.

"That wasn't fair" she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "You knew beyond anything else, that I didn't have a choice in the matter" Her gaze was focused to the ground, unable to meet his face. 

"I….." Tasuki was speechless. He knew he had gone too far this time. As if to make things even worse, his mind suddenly had a flashback of the incident when he had hurt the boy deeply in the past because of his careless words. 

******

_"…. For all I know, you're probably a boy a that nobody wants not even your own parents, they probably abandoned you all alone when you're young because they found just how spoiled and annoying you are" _

_'SLAP!'___

_"Don't…." Kayla started, his voice filled with venom and bitterness. "Don't you ever speak about my parents like that… How dare you say those things about them?! You have no right!..... You don't even know me" _

******

_Kuso__! It's all happening again… I pushed him too far…. He thought guiltily.  Slowly he placed a hand on the Kayla's shoulder in an attempt to soothe the boy (although he wasn't very sure how he was going to fix this now since he had really made an ass out of himself)._

However Tasuki's attempts were in vain as Kayla slapped his hand away in anger. She looked back at Tasuki with such great hostility that it had caused him to involuntarily flinch. "Spare me you're efforts! I don't want you apologizing for something you don't mean!" she said with anger, the hurt evident in her eyes. "You are the most insensitive, brainless, cruel, annoying…. BAKA I EVER HAD THE MISFORTUNE IN KNOWING!!" she yelled, unable to hold her rage any longer. "I HATE YOU TASUKI!!" and with that, she instantly turned around and stormed away. 

She didn't look back.

Tasuki stared after Kayla's retreating form. He didn't make an attempt to move even after the boy's figure had long disappeared from his sight. He was just too stunned to move. How did the situation gotten out of control?

"What happened?" a voice startled Tasuki from behind. 

He turned to find the concerned face of his fellow Seishi, Nuriko.

"Nothing" he muttered. He really didn't want to share this with anyone right now.

One of Nuriko's delicate eyebrows rose expressing the doubt he has on Tasuki's words. "I had heard you and Kayla arguing. You two were so loud that I'm sure more than half the palace had heard the both of you" 

Tasuki just glared at him but remained silent.

Nuriko continued. "Look, it might not be any of my business, but you obviously look like you just lost your soul mate right now so why don't you just tell me what's going on. Maybe an observant person such as myself can help you solve this little dilemma"

Tasuki stared at him in surprise… no, more like shock. _Soul mate?__ Kayla and me? He's got to be joking…. Right? He looked back at the other man, __No… he seems pretty damn serious to me…. Soul mate? What the HELL was THAT suppose to mean?! _

After a few moments later of continued silence, Tasuki just swore under his breath and decided to do something he had rarely did in his life. He asked for advice. "I said something really stupid and ended up hurting Kayla" He said quietly, unwilling to go into much detail. 

Nuriko's looked a little surprise at the stubborn man's sudden change in attitude, but quickly recovered. "Obviously it was your fault" he replied with a smirk ignoring Tasuki's glare. "So what started it?"

Tasuki smiled wryly. "A spider"

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A solitary figure stood in the shadows within the Konan palace waiting, watching. _It wouldn't be long now thought the man, his silvery-blue eyes scanned the palace gardens as the late evening light began to disappear. The sun was quickly descending and it would only take a few short moments before night would fall. Then it would be the perfect time to strike._

It wasn't difficult to sneak inside the palace walls unnoticed. It had only cost him of a few palace guards (who at the moment were unconscious and well-hidden from view). _Suzaku__ no Miko should be here he thought momentarily. The girl he was sent here to kill by order of Nakago. He smirked. Even if Nakago hadn't ordered this mission, he would have came anyway in order to avenge the pain she had caused for Yui-sama. _, Miaka…that's her name, Miaka Yuuki_. Much to his annoyance, that strange feeling was surging within his heart again as if to reject his entire being. Then the voices came back again and he clutched his head in frustration. _

[_"How can you be so selfish and not help me look for Yui-chan?!"]_

[_"Is money all you care about?!"]_

[_"I care because I…. I'm in love with you!!"]_

[_"I miss you…."]_

That same voice continued on and on, saying things that didn't make sense yet sounded so familiar. Then the voice stop, and were forgotten. All was left was a feeling of emptiness. 

He forced himself to dismiss the feeling immediately, this was only weakness. He won't let himself succumb to such limitations. Once he kills her, all of his troubles will be over. He loves Yui-sama and that was all that was most important. Nothing else.

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Miaka wandered dazedly across the palace gardens. It was a sanctuary in which its beauty was enhanced by the glowing light of the setting sun. However, Miaka noticed none of its beauty, as a matter of fact; she hadn't even noticed that she was in the garden in the first place. She just wandered aimlessly, her heavy heart filled with worry and doubt. _Why? she thought worriedly _Why didn't Tamahome answered to Chichiri's call? Did something happen to him? Oh Suzaku, please let him be alright!! _Another thought sprang in her mind driving her to despair. _What about Yui-chan? Is she alright? She may be the Seiryuu no miko now but she is still my best friend….. but I don't trust her Seishi, Nakago _As clueless as Miaka could be at times, she was not that dense that she couldn't see that the blond-haired shogun of Kutou was bad news even though she had only met him once. It didn't help the fact that Nakago had almost killed her on their first encounter either. She shuddered involuntarily at the memory. _

_Tamahome__… she thought again as her heart ached once more. She missed him terribly. The way he smiled at her whenever she was with him. The way he was always so patient with her. How he had swore his undying devotion to her as her Seishi and as her first love. Most of all, she missed the way of how he love her no matter what a clumsy klutz, a baka, or a plain clumsy girl she could be most of the time. Because he loves her because she was Miaka, a typical 15 year old girl who was still in the process of experiencing the big world around her for the very first time. _

She stopped walking and found herself standing by a pond under a huge weeping willow tree. _Miaka__ Yuuki, you have to have faith her heart scolded her. __Tamahome__ and Yui will be alright, you just have to believe it…. She looked around and realized for the first time that the dark had already begun to rise, and night has fallen. __I better head back now and rest. All this worrying isn't helping me at all she thought ruefully. _

"Suzaku no Miko" a voice spoke out of nowhere, startling her so badly that she actually flinched. 

"Who's… who's there?" Miaka stammered, trying to suppress the urge to scream. There was someone here all this time? Why didn't he show himself to her in the beginning? However for some reason, she felt something inside of her respond to the sound of the voice. It was……. familiar.   

"I've come for you Miaka" the voice said. Then from behind the willow tree, out came a shadow of a figure that looked painfully familiar. Miaka eyes widen as she immediately recognize the man. How could she NOT recognize him? He had been the very centre of her thoughts since the day he had left her. She swore that at that moment, her heart had skipped a beat. 

"Tama…home…" she whispered with disbelief. She couldn't control herself, her mind was so confused yet her heart was soaring with happiness. She must be dreaming. It must have been something she had eaten for dinner. It couldn't be that destiny could be so kind as to let her see him again….. could it?

"Tamahome!! It's you!! " she cried out again, and instantly ran to him to embrace him. She didn't care if this was real or not. She just had to hold him again. She had missed him so terribly. "It's really you!"

The man, Tamahome had not been prepared for the Suzaku no Miko to embraced him so quickly that he had barely had time to react. She was holding him as if he might disappear if she let go as profound as it may seem. A current of emotions flooded momentarily over him and he felt a wave of pleasure within him. 

He flinched violently from his wave of thoughts and cursed inwardly. He had a job to do damn it! He was suppose to kill her not let her embrace him like they were…. were…. some lovers!!!

He angrily pushed her away and she stumbled back with confusion written all over her features. 

He brought out his nun chucks that he had been carrying with him and with a mighty swing, attacked her from the side. He heard a satisfying, sickening _'crack'_ at the sound of the bone in her left arm breaking. 

Miaka fell to her knees stunned, her broken left arm hanging limply to her side as blood soaked through the sleeves of her school uniform.

"Tama… home?" she replied with pained confusion. He had broken her arm without a second thought. What's happening? This can't be Tamahome she knew. Tamahome loves her….

She swallowed, blinking back the tears. She didn't know if her tears were because of the pain of her arm or the pain in her heart. Maybe it was both. "Why?" 

"How dare you touch me or called me by that name you little brat!" Tamahome spitted out. "You have no right!"

"Little… brat?...." Miaka couldn't understand anything. Nothing makes sense. Tamahome was standing in front of her for the first time after for so long and now he is a completely different person, treating her as if he hated the sight of her! "What have they done to you?" she whispered, but Tamahome didn't respond. He just gave her a cold smirk, one that sent a terrible chill down her spine. 

"I'm here to kill you, Suzaku no Miko" he said as he emphasized her title with pure distaste. 

Miaka paled at his words, but hadn't moved. How could she move? Not when Tamahome was standing right before her now. True, he was different but…. Tears fell down her face as well as her heart cried. But he was still the man she loves. He was in there somewhere… he just has to be….

"Why don't you run Miaka? Too scared?" Tamahome mocked with sadistic amusement as he stared at the pathetic girl still kneeing the grass soaked in her own blood. 

"I'm terrified" Miaka answered softly as she looked up at him with great sadness. Her heart was breaking wanting nothing more then to reach out to find the man she loves inside of this cold hard shell.

"But I won't leave you… Woi Ai Ni" she whispered the three little Chinese words. The same words Tamahome had written to her before he had left. 

The man flinched again a little from her words but recovered quickly as if it had never happened. "Then you are a bigger fool then I thought. Die!" he said as he ready his nun chucks to strike her with the final fatal blow. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_I HATE HIM! Kayla thought angrily as she walked, not caring if she got lost. All she wanted to do was to get away from HIM! __STUPID BAKA! Why did I even follow him here? It's stupid!!... I came along to find my own path and I end up being miserable!! I should have left him ages ago!! He's an idiot… No, I'M AN IDIOT!!_

Finally she stopped walking to find herself to be in some sort of garden. Night had begun to fall casting everything in a silhouette under the moonlight. _Great she thought miserably_, it's dark and there's no way I can find myself back to my room since I'm lost._ Then she stopped her train of thought. Oh second thought, she wasn't sure she wanted to go back to her room since Tasuki was still back there. _NO_ she thought firmly __I don't want to go back there and risk seeing him again! I rather sleep in the outdoors! _

She sighed as she felt her rage began to subside a little and sadness began to seep in. She continued to walk deeper into the garden as her mind reviewed back to what had happen a few minutes ago. 

[_"Then why don't you go back?! Oh yeah I almost forgot, you don't really have a place to go back to except the stronghold, but then again, Mount Leikaku isn't really your home is it? You don't have anywhere to go!!"]_

_I still can't believe he said that! She thought frustratingly__, just when I thought that he had become considerably nicer to me after all the things we had been through! _

Then something in the dark caught her eyes. It was a person… no, two people in the garden. _Odd why would someone be here now? She thought curiously before she realized that she, herself was here alone also. Then she recognized the figure that was kneeling on her knees. _Miaka__?!_ She thought with surprised. _She seems…. hurt! Oh my god! _Her eyes widen as she caught the sight of the other figure (a man this time) was getting ready to strike Miaka with a deathly blow with his weapon. _

"Miaka!" Kayla didn't have time to think. She ran towards the man in full speed hoping against hope to reach them before it was too late. Just as the man was about to strike, he was knocked out of balance as Kayla slammed full force into him. The force was enough to make him stumbled a few feet away from Miaka, but didn't knock him down as Kayla had hoped it would. Kayla had to give him credit; the man was like a brick wall even though she had been caught him off guard. She quickly kneeled next to girl. "Miaka, are you alright?" she asked worriedly to her friend. 

"I… I…. he…" Miaka was so surprised to see Kayla's appearance that she had trouble forming the proper words. She wanted to tell Kayla everything, she wanted to tell him that Tamahome had changed, and that her heart was breaking even though she had only knew the boy for a short period. But she just couldn't say the words.

Kayla caught the bleeding wound on Miaka's left arm and turned around and gave the man her coldest glare. "Who the hell are you?!" she demanded furiously at the man who had hurt her friend. The first and only girl who had ever became her friend. 

The man only smirked and Kayla was able to see the man's features clearly for the first time. He would have been considered handsome if his expression weren't so cold and neutral. He had sea blue-green hair tied back with a black bandana along with a long braid behind his back much like her braid. His striking silvery-blue eyes were haunting. He was tall and obviously well built. Kayla had no doubt that this man was a skilled fighter. "This matter is none of your concern boy. You better leave now or I'll have no choice but to kill you" the man warned although he didn't seem concern with her welfare at all. 

"If you think that I'm going to leave my friend here, then you are dumber than I thought pretty boy" Kayla smirked. _Pretty boy?__ I must be hanging around Nuriko too _long_ she thought with grim amusement._

"Then you will die along with her" the man said simply as he placed himself in a battle stance holding the nun chucks firmly in his hands. 

"Bring it on" she challenged and without further delay she charged towards the man in an attempt to get the first hit. But to her surprise, the man blocked her punch with ease and returned a hit with his weapon which Kayla had barely avoided. _Damn! He IS good she thought as she continued to dodge, duck and block from his deadly weapons. However, the man had managed to slip through her defences and landed a hard hit on the right side of her waist. She stumbled back a little in pain, feeling the breath temporarily knocked out of her. Even though, she could already tell in the beginning that this man was a skilled fighter, she had sorely misjudged his abilities. He was much faster AND stronger then she had anticipated! She had no way of winning except maybe to slow him down and deterred him away from Miaka. His skills could match those of Tasuki's or Hotohori's._

"Give up already?" the man mocked seeing her struggled with the pain on her side. 

"You wish!" she spat out as she clutched her side trying to hold the pain. She had endured pain many times worse then the one she carried now. It wouldn't stop her. She REFUSED to let it stop her. With a burst of energy, she charged at the man again and once more, he blocked her punch from her right fist towards his stomach. However, Kayla was prepared this time. Just as he blocked her first punch, her other fist came up and hit him right across the face with enough force to knock him down to the ground. _Got you!_ She thought with satisfaction and a little surprised with herself. The man glared back at her and she could see the fury now emanating from his cold blue eyes. 

"Kayla! Don't kill him! He's…. he's Tamahome!" Miaka cried, as she had watched the whole fight in horror. She had finally found her voice again from all the shock and her heart was torn between the two. One was the one she loved and the other was her loyal friend. 

Kayla's attention snapped back at Miaka's words and turned to her in shock_. Nani! This killer is…. Tamahome?!?! The one who everyone says is in love with Miaka?! What the hell?! _

Unfortunately for her, she should not have diverted her attention from the man. Using Kayla's moment of distraction, Tamahome quickly charged at her and with one great swing of his fist, he send Kayla flying back, hitting painfully against a wall.

_That's going to leave a mark Kayla thought painfully as she tried to get up from the ground using the wall for support. However, her strength chose that moment to fail her and she fell back down to the ground, her back against the wall. She couldn't even lift her head as dark spots danced in front of her eyes. That hit she had taken from that man, Tamahome had been a hard one. She knew that she was losing consciousness fast and she fought against it, but it was a losing battle right from the start. She inwardly cursed her own weakness, _I can't faint now! Not yet…. I can't…. Miaka…. not safe…. __

She looked up dazedly to see Tamahome standing over her. In his hands, were his nun chucks swinging with deadly accuracy. He was going to kill her. That much was clear in his cold eyes. She closed her eyes trying to clear her blurry vision. If her side wasn't hurting so damn much she would have laughed at the irony of the whole situation. She had been looking forward in meeting this last Seishi Tamahome, and now that she does, she was going to get killed by him. _Oh the irony indeed._

"Tamahome, don't kill him! Snap out it please…. onegai!" a voice cried out desperately in which Kayla recognized immediately as belonging to Miaka. She forced herself to open her eyes again. Miaka was standing in front of her, defending her from Tamahome's wrath. Her large expressive green eyes shone with pain yet determination in protecting Kayla. 

"Stand out of my way Miko or I WILL kill you first like I had planned to in the first place!" Tamahome said angrily. 

"I won't let you hurt him Tamahome! You…. you will have to go through me first" she whispered.  Miaka stood firm in front of Kayla, her hand clutching painfully at the bleeding wound of her broken left arm. It was her fault that Kayla was hurt. He was only trying to protect her. How could she live with herself if she couldn't save him? She won't let this happen even if it will cost her, her life! 

Despite Miaka's effort, she wasn't strong enough to stand between the skilled former Suzaku Seishi and Kayla. Tamahome just smirked at the girl's attempt. He had to admire the Miko's loyalty to her friend, but it wasn't going to stop him. Nothing will. First he was going to kill this boy who had interfered with his affairs and then he was going to kill this girl.

_Miaka__ you baka! Get out of here! He obviously isn't the same man you knew! Kayla thought desperately as she tried to stand up. But it was in vain, she could barely stay awake herself._

Miaka cried in pain as Tamahome hit her across the face, sending her towards the ground. Her head hit against a rock and she fell unconscious. 

"You… traitor…" Kayla struggled to speak, as she glared angrily at the heartless man. "She loves… you". 

Tamahome smirked, even though for some reason, his heart had begun to ach. "I love Yui-sama" He replied simply.

Kayla closed her eyes. She was going to die. _I'm… so… sorry… everyone… Tasuki… I forgive you…_

Tamahome was about to hit Kayla with the final blow when suddenly a blast of flame came out of nowhere, catching the former Seishi by surprised. If it had not been for his reflexes, he would have been killed. However, he still received a serious burn on his left arm, making him drop his nun chucks. He glared at the perpetrator. 

"Kayla, are you alright?! Damn it say something!!"

Upon hearing her name, she forced herself to open her eyes once more. "Tasuki…." Kayla whispered, as she looked up dazedly into the worried amber eyes of the man with wild flame hair. Hope began to surge through her again. He was here with her again and for some reason, she felt that odd security of having him near her in the time of crises. 

Tasuki tried to help Kayla up by putting an arm around the boy's waist, but the painful hiss from the boy made him stopped immediately. 

"Don't…. it hurts too much" Kayla managed to utter. Tasuki swore softly. 

"Where else does it hurt?" Tasuki asked as calmly as he could even though he was burning with rage inside. 

"Everywhere" Kayla answered with a grim smile. Even though it was true that her body was hurting, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of seeing Tasuki. She couldn't even really remember what it was she had been so angry at him about in the beginning. Maybe it was because her mind was so foggy right now. 

"Kayla, Miaka! Dear god!" Nuriko cried as he ran over to the two fallen figures along with the rest of the Suzaku Seishi. Seeing that Kayla had already been taken care of by Tasuki, he automatically made his way to Miaka. He gently began to nudge the Miko awake. Miaka moaned softly and slowly opened her eyes. "Nuriko?" she said softly. Then her eyes began to fill with tears and her face was filled with anguish. "Nuriko, it's Tamahome… he…. he's not himself!!" she cried softly, her voice barely above a whisper. 

"Tamahome? How….?" Nuriko uttered confusedly. Hotohori and Chichiri both stared in shock as well at the man who stood motionlessly before them, both speechless as to why their trusted member, Tamahome had betrayed them. 

Kayla felt herself growing weaker and losing all sight of consciousness. Even though, she found her world becoming darker, she no longer felt the need to stay awake as she did before. She didn't have the strength. _Everyone is here now…. Everything will be okay_ she thought numbly, _I….. need…. to….. rest…. And she submitted willingly into the darkness._

Tasuki had panicked when he felt Kayla slumped against him in his arms. During that moment, he had forgotten all his anger and rage and all he could think about was the boy in his arms. It was after only finding that the boy had only fallen unconscious that he had allowed himself to breathe again. For a second, that had seemed to last for an eternity, he had feared that Kayla had died. He had honestly thought that he had lost his friend, his brother. He didn't think he'll be able to take it if Kayla had left him, especially after leaving things so damn screwed between them! Then an even more morbid thought crossed his mind causing him to shudder in horror. What if he hadn't arrived in time? What if he hadn't allowed Nuriko to convince him to look for Kayla? In other words, if he hadn't been here in time then he would have regretted it for the rest of his life. 

"That bastard is going to get his ass kicked!" Tasuki growled as he glared menacingly at the intruder, as he continued to support the fallen Kayla in his arms in a sitting position. Mitsukake, Chiriko and he, himself were the only ones who didn't knew the identity of the man standing before them was the last Suzaku Seishi, Tamahome. 

Tamahome glared angrily at the shock and angry expressions of the intruders who had interrupted his mission. However, his expression changed to one of cruel amusement. "So the whole assembly had arrived" He stated with a smirk. 

"Tamahome, what is the meaning of this?!" Hotohori demanded as he glared angrily to his rival. He ignored the gasp from the other Seishi, who hadn't known the identity of the man.  

Nuriko winced at the tone of the Emperor's voice. He didn't think he had ever seen the Emperor to be so angry before. However, he understood the Emperor's feelings. He looked down sadly at the broken Miaka in his arms. His highness was in love with Miaka and had wanted her to be happy. Seeing her hurt like this and by the man she loves…. it was simple to say that this was the final straw. _Tamahome__, what is wrong with you? Have you gone mad? The Tamahom I know would never hurt Miaka like this he thought sadly unable to understand how something like this could happen. _

"I was given orders by authorities of Kutou to kill the Suzaku no Miko" Tamahome responded emotionlessly. 

"And you listened?! You're a Suzaku Seishi, Tamahome!!" Nuriko said disbelievingly. 

"Do not call me by that name!" Tamahome spat out. 

"Why? It is who you are. Do you deny it?" Hotohori said, his tone was as cold as ice. 

"I don't care if he's the real Tamahome or not!" Tasuki interrupted angrily. "He obviously doesn't deserve the title! Not after what he did to Miaka and Kayla!"

"I don't know why you are all talking like you all know me" Tamahome said coldly. "I'm here to kill the Suzaku no Miko. However I will kill whoever stands in my way" 

"Then I will stand in your way, but I'll kill you first before you even have a chance to blink you bastard" Tasuki challenged. He was about to stand up to fight Tamahome, when he was detained by the Emperor, himself. 

"No!" Hotohori stated firmly. It wasn't a request. It was an order straight from the Emperor of Konan. "I'm going to be the one to challenge this traitor. As the Emperor and friend of all those loyal to Suzaku, it is my sworn duty to be the one to rectify this"

Tasuki wanted to protest. He wanted sorely to make that so-called Suzaku Seishi pay for what he did. However a hand rested on his shoulder, stopping him once again. He looked up to see Chichiri. Only to his surprise, this Chichiri was different. Instead of the usual cheery face he had usually carried, this one had a scar over one of his eye. The other eye was a clear, warm brown colour that spoke of great wisdom matching the handsome visage of his face. It was only then that Tasuki realized that the usual cheery face that the monk had before was only a mask conjured by his own magic abilities. For a moment he just stared taken aback by this odd little discovery. _That monk is damn creepy when he wants to be! Tasuki thought tensely._

He was snapped out his reverie at the sound of Chichiri's voice. Even the voice of the monk had changed slightly! It was in a more deeper tone then the usual cheery one he had heard before. "Calm down Tasuki, you must look after Kayla while he is still unconscious, we are still unsure if he suffers from any internal injuries" Chichiri said solemnly, his usual 'no da's' were gone. 

Tasuki gritted his teeth in frustration knowing that the monk had a point. He was getting impatient and was reluctant to listen to any reasons. He looked down at the boy in his arms. His amber eyes once more reflected the worry in his heart. He will have to stay put and watch for the events to unfold as much as he hated it. Nevertheless, he would be ready to give to fry this man, Tamahome if the terms were to come to that. 

"NO!" Everyone turned in surprised at Miaka who had cried out in anguish. Tears rolling down her face. _I can't let either of them risk their lives like this, not while I still stand! She thought desperately. And with only sheer will as her strength, she quickly pulled herself out of Nuriko's grasp – startling everyone by her unnatural speed – and ran in between Tamahome and Hotohori. _

Miaka are you crazy?! Get back!" Hotohori cried worriedly. However, Miaka ignored him as well as ignoring the protest from her Suzaku Seishi. 

"We can't just stand here! Isn't there anything we can do?" Chiriko spoke worriedly for the very first time, overcoming his initial shock. He looked up at everyone for an answer, yet everyone was shock by their Miko's action. Chiriko clutched the flute in his hands. _What's going on?! This is wrong! This wasn't supposed to happen….. I hate wars… all the suffering…. he thought ruefully. _

To everyone's horror, Miaka made her way closer towards Tamahome . She ignored everything else, she ignored the crying of her name from her other Seishi, and she ignored the terrible pain of her broken arm. Sometime during this whole crises it had began to rain, soaking everyone in the bitter cold. She ignored the rain soaking her clothes and hair also. She was blind to it all_. I don't know what had happen to you Tamahome but I know the man I fell in love with is still in you somewhere… I can only hope that I'm strong enough to bring you back….. _

Her deep hazel eyes shone with understanding; there was only one way for her to bring Tamahome back. She didn't care for the consequences. _Tamahome__, do you remember the first time when you told me that you love me? She thought silently. She stopped walking until she was standing in less then an arms distance away from the shell of the man she loved. She gazed up sadly at the cold blue-grey eyes, who stared back at her with hostility and confusion._

He had promised her once that he would always be there by her side and protect her. But this time, she wasn't going to leave him, she was going to be there for him. "Tamahome" she said softly "kill me" 

"WHAT!!" all the Suzaku seishi cried in disbelief and horror. 

Tamahome was caught off guard by the girl before him. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What?" he demanded as he tried to hide the confusion in his voice. 

"If you truly no longer harbour any more feelings for me then kill me Tamahome. I won't stop you" Miaka answered, as she looked straight into his eyes, her tears mingling with the droplets of rain. 

Tamahome looked back at her in disbelief and once again felt his heart began to race. _What curse is this girl trying to spin on me?! He thought angrily. Nevertheless, if the foolish girl was going to let herself be killed, then he certainly wasn't going to disappoint her. _

Before anyone could react, Tamahome took out a dagger he had hidden behind his back and grabbed Miaka in a bruising neck lock. His dagger held threateningly against her neck. Her back pressed against his chest. 

"Miaka!!" Everyone cried in alarm. 

"Just what the hell does she thinks she's doing?!" Tasuki demanded in disbelief. Why are girls always so damn troublesome?! 

"Tamahome! I'm warning you, if you harm even one hair on her I swear by the god of Suzaku that you will pay dearly for this!" Hotohori said angrily.

If it wasn't for Chichiri's interference, the Suzaku Seishi would have rushed immediately towards the pair to rescue their Miko. "We can't be reckless, remember Tamahome is holding her with a dagger" Chichiri said urgently, causing the rest of the Seishi to fall back in despair. Then Chichiri's face grew solemn again. "We must have faith in our Miko, she is trying to bring our friend back" he said softly. 

Miaka felt the fear rising within her and her heartache grew. However she stubbornly suppressed her emotions in order to stay in control. _This is it… no turning back now… she thought ruefully. "Do it Tamahome" she whispered softly so only the man holding dagger could hear her and she closed her eyes and waited for whatever was to come. Even if Tamahome does kill her in the end, she would still love him. She knew in her heart that it hadn't been within his control. How did she know? She didn't know how. But it didn't matter._

Tamahome looked down at the soaking head of the girl he was going to kill. Her wet reddish-brown hair draped heavily against her head. _What is she planning? He was feeling so many things. Confusion, anger, frustration, suspicion, sadness, and….. heartache? _Why? Why the hell am I hesitating?! Kill her now! NOW! _His mind screamed. Never had he felt so torn. His hand began to shake ever so slightly. He felt as if his body was betraying him, disobeying what his mind was demanding him. Then his eyes widen in horrid realization. He couldn't….. kill her! His heart won't allow it!_

Then it happened, his head began to hurt, it started pounding endlessly over and over again. Tamahome dropped the dagger and it fell to the ground soundlessly. His stumbled back away from the girl, clutching his head in pain. Many images came flooding back to him. They were all images of long forgotten memories that he had cherished in his heart. His friends, his family, his Miko…. the Seiryuu…. NO!…. _'Suzaku' no Miko….. she was who he had fell in love with, whom he had sworn ever loyalty to. __Miaka__…._

"Tamahome!" Miaka cried, as she instantly kneeled next to her Seishi as he appeared to be in severe pain. His breathing was irregular, as if gasping for dear life. She was confused. What was happening?! She held him in a close embrace, yet he didn't appear to notice that she was there. She looked back at other Seishi desperately. Yet they had all seemed dumbfounded as they were also completely unsure as to what was happening. Then all of a sudden, a powerful crimson glow erupted around her and Tamahome and she closed her eyes instinctively at its intensity. She felt herself being bathed in warmth and no longer feeling the bitter cold of the rain. Taking a chance, she cracked open her eyes to look, only to gasp in surprise. Tamahome's sign was glowing! The light was so strong that it forced the head band around his head to fall off. However his 'ogre' sign was different as its red light was mingled with a tinge of blue light as if battling for control over Tamahome's mind. Miaka held on to Tamahome tighter, who continue to struggle. _Don't give up Tamahome, I'm here_ she thought pleadingly.

For what seemed to be an eternity, the intensive red light finally diminished into a soft glow. Miaka looked at Tamahome, who was still gasping for breath but no longer clutching his head in pain. She was half-hopeful yet half-worried. She didn't know what had happened but something had changed, she was sure of it. Then Tamahome looked up at her and she gasped when she looked into his eyes. His eyes were no longer cold and unfeeling, but filled with warmth and its intensity left her breathless. They were the same eyes that she could drown into whenever she looked into them, it held all the love that he had for her and yet right now, it was also filled with sorrow. So much anguish. 

"Mi… Miaka…." Tamahome whispered as he looked into Miaka's face. He watched as tears shimmering with happiness mixed with the rain on her face. He raised a hand to her face in a tender caress. He remembered everything. What Nakago and Yui had done to him. How he had lost control and forgotten everything that he had ever cherished in his life. How he…. Tamahome swallowed, as flashbacks replayed back what had happened just a few moments ago. Dear Suzaku! He had…. he had almost killed her! He almost killed that boy! He looked down at Miaka's arm to see the bleeding wound of her broken arm. He had broken her arm! "What had I done?" Tamahome whispered in horror and with complete anguish. However he fell unconscious in utter exhaustion before Miaka could give a response.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"What the hell is taking him so long?!" Tasuki cried impatiently, as he ran his hand through his wild hair in frustration. 

"Why don't you sit down and relax Tasu-kun, I'm getting dizzy just watching you pace like that" Nuriko sighed as he sat watching the fiery-Seishi. "I'm sure the doctor will be done soon with Kayla." He and Tasuki had been waiting outside of Kayla's room while the healer was inside. Despite his and Tasuki's protest, the doctor had insisted that they wait outside while he treats the boy's injuries. It would have been easier if Mitsukake could just heal Kayla with his powers, however given the fact that Mitsukake had already used his powers to heal Miaka's broken arm, he wasn't able to use that power again twice on the same day. Therefore, Hotohori had summoned the best healer available within Konan to treat the boy instead. 

"Something must be damn wrong if the doctor is taking so long" Tasuki continued to speak as if the violet-haired Seishi had never spoken. "I can't f*cking stand this! I'm going inside" He would have succeeded in getting inside if he hadn't been pulled back (rather quite hard) by Nuriko by the back of his collar. "Damn! Nuriko, what did you do that for?!" 

"I told you to relax Tasuki" Nuriko replied irritatingly. "I know you're worried about Kayla-chan and believe me, I'm just as anxious as you are, but you have to wait outside like me until the doctor is done. You don't want to be in there and distract the doctor do you?" 

Tasuki opened his mouth to protest but shut it again knowing that Nuriko was right as much as he hated to admit it. He reluctantly turned and leaned against the wall, his arms folded with a sour expression on his face. A silence settled in between the two Seishi as they continued to stare at the closed doors waiting for the doctor to come up with good news or bad news. 

To lighten the silence that had fallen between them, Nuriko decided to speak up. "You know, I'm quite surprised that you're so worried about Kayla. From how you usually act, I would have thought that you found of him to be an annoying brat to you" he said teasingly. 

However, Tasuki didn't give any indication that he found Nuriko's comment amusing. "It's my fault that he's hurt" he said softly.

Nuriko looked up in surprise at the sad expression on Tasuki's face. "Why do you say that?" he asked.

Tasuki turned away from him. Although his back was now facing him, Nuriko could see that the man was trembling in anger. "Why? WHY?! How could you f*cking ask that?! You were there! You knew that I was the one who drove Kayla away in the first place!" Tasuki cried out, clearly blaming himself.

Silence once again fell in between them.

"It wasn't your fault, no one would have expected for all this to happened" Nuriko said calmly, finally understanding Tasuki's meaning as he placed a hand gently on the man's tense shoulder. When Tasuki didn't reply, he continued. "If Kayla hadn't been there, he wouldn't have been able to save Miaka in time. It's true that Kayla is seriously injured but you and I both know that Kayla's strong. He'll pull through this. Besides, did you really expect Kayla to just stand around and watch Miaka get killed back there?"

"No" Tasuki answered softly and shook his head in defeat. "Kayla's always trying to help other people even though he had enough problems of his own already. He's a baka, always causing me trouble." he said, holding no resentment but more in a faraway tone in remembrance_. Always scaring the shit out of me... he's either really brave or just an idiot. Maybe it's both he added silently._

"Reminds me of a certain Seishi I know don't you think?" Nuriko answered knowingly with a smirk. 

Tasuki turned and gave him a glare. He was about to give a comeback that would certainly earn him a punch through the wall from the strong violet-haired Seishi when the doors to Kayla's room opened to reveal the doctor finally stepping out. 

"How is he? Is he alright? " Tasuki asked instantly bombarding the doctor with questions. Nuriko stood anxiously by his side as he listened to the doctor's reply.

"The young… man is alright" the doctor replied, gently stroking the long beard on his chin. "He had received a serious hit on the head and a rather nasty bruise on his right side and a bit of other scratches. However, it will all heal with a lot of rest and taking the daily medicine prescribed by me until he is fully well again." 

Both Tasuki and Nuriko both relaxed again from the news that their friend is well. "Can we see him?" Tasuki asked.

The doctor frowned for a moment but relaxed again. "I suppose it wouldn't be a problem, he hasn't awakened yet from that hit on the head. Please try not to disturb him too much for he still needs much rest. But_" Before the doctor could finish his sentence, Tasuki had already rushed into Kayla's room. 

Nuriko stared back at the doors that Tasuki had went through for a moment and turned to give the doctor an appreciative smile. "Thank you doctor for everything" he said graciously. "I think I'll go in and see Kayla also" and he turned to step into the room. However before the Seishi could go in, the doctor cleared his throat quite loudly obviously trying to catch his attention.

"If it isn't too much of a problem, I have some rather important details to discuss with you… it's about your injured friend in there" the doctor said rather hesitantly. 

Nuriko instantly became concerned. "But you said he is fine…. He IS fine, isn't he?"

"Why yes Nuriko-sama, he is in fine health, you may not worry about that area" 

"Then what is the matter?" Nuriko was confused yet very curious. What was the doctor trying to tell him about Kayla? What was wrong?

The doctor sighed deeply. "It's rather quite difficult to say under such circumstances. I had initially decided to tell this to you and that young man with you earlier. But he had walked off before I could finish what I had to say…. No…. it's perhaps better this way to let one person know about this first" 

"Know about what? You are not making any sense doctor" Nuriko reply somewhat impatiently, not really appreciating the fact that the doctor seemed to be stalling. 

The doctor looked at him square in the eye and spoke in a hush whisper that only Nuriko could hear. "What I am trying to say is this; When I was checking your friend for injuries, I had noticed that your friend had suffered a nasty bruise on his side_" 

"But you told us that already!" Nuriko interrupted impatiently.

"Don't interrupt please, I'm not finish yet" the doctor reply somewhat exasperatedly. _I swear young folks today have no patients what-so-ever he thought quietly before he continued. "As I had said, I had noticed that there was a bruise on his side so I had to treat it being the doctor that I am. However when I had to take the shirt off your friend in order to treat the wound, I found that he had bondages across his chest. Not only was that strange but what had surprised me the most was that I…." _

The doctor paused for a moment and Nuriko was surprised to see a faint tinge of red on the elder man's face. 

"I noticed that your friend is…. different"

"Different?"

"Please forgive me Nuriko-sama, this is rather difficult for me to say, but it seems that your friend is…. is…."

"Doctor?" 

"is… a woman…. a young girl to be more accurate" 

Nuriko stared at the doctor in shock, mouth wide open and eyes as wide as saucers. His mind was trying to process what the doctor had revealed to him. However the shock of the whole news was mind boggling! 

_A…. a….. GIRL?!?! KAYLA?! Is this a joke?!?! But one look at the doctor told him that he was indeed very serious. __This is…. I can't believe this! Kayla's a girl!!! His mind was going a mile a minute. __Nobody knows about this, not even Tasuki and he knows Kayla the longest and Fang-boy hates girls!! But they're good friends, I can tell!! Talk about irony!!_

Then an amusing thought hit him despite his shock and he gave a small smirk. 

_Well….. At least now I know I'm not the only one who likes to cross-dress. _

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** Author's Notes: **

Cancer: That was about 30 PAGES of typing in this one chapter!!! What the heck was Gemini thinking when she wrote so much?!?! 

Gemini: (turns on her bed, still sleeping completely of unaware of Cancer's ranting. She was still cuddling her little plush Tasuki doll)

Cancer: (glares at Gemini) It took me forever to edit the whole chapter!! And how can she leave this at another cliffhanger! Oh my gosh!! Nuriko knows Kayla's a girl!!!! What will happen?!?!?! 

(Cancer became very impatient and grabbed Gemini and tried to shake her awake)

Cancer: WAKE UP GEMINI!!! HOW CAN YOU DO THIS?!?! YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE US ALL HANGING HERE!!!!

(Gemini frowns in her sleep and took out a mallet and hit Cancer on the head)

_'BANG'_

Gemini: Stupid….. Alarm clock….. (fell back asleep completely unaware of what she had just done)

(Cancer fell to the ground with swirls in her eyes and dancing Tasuki's and Kouji's in her head)

Well we hope you enjoy this chapter as much as we enjoyed writing it. It's hard work but it's worth it!! Anyway now that Nuriko knows that Kayla's a girl, what will happen? Will he tell the other Suzaku Seishi's? Will he keep it a secret? Will he let Kayla know he knows her secret? The possibilities are endless!! Sorry for the long wait but at least it wasn't as long as last time LOL. We'll try to get the next chapter up ASAP! Remember to review!! Thanks for all your support!!

Luv ya all!! *~Twin Girls~*


	16. Unconditional Forgiveness

**Disclaimer: We, Twin Girls do not own Fushigi Yuugi or its wonderful characters (sniffle, sniffle…..)**

**Gemini: Hmmmm….. (Studies the book in her hands) According this….. this is bad…. _VERY bad…. Hmmmm…… _**

**Cancer:** Huh?? (Tries to see what Gemini is reading) What are you reading Gemini?

**Gemini: Oh nothing, just something I picked up from a mysterious antique shop (shows Cancer the book titled _"How To Read Horoscope For Dummies")_**

**Cancer: (Sweatdrops) You don't actually believe in that kind of stuff do you?! It's not real!!**

**Gemini: Of course this is _REAL!! I'm learning how to tell the future according to our horoscopes constellations (Studies her book again)…. Let's see….... 24 degrees towards north and 5 degrees to the west again…. tonight is a new moon….. (Suddenly looks at Cancer with a very scary look)_**

**Cancer: (begins to grow nervous) uummmmm….. Gemini, why are you looking at me like that?**

**Gemini: Well I've been reading this and trying to determine your fortune and I found that that it says that you should stay indoors today.**

**Cancer: (Rolls her eyes) Yeah….._RIGHT….. You can't expect me to __BELIEVE that crap do you?_**

**Gemini: You'll never know Cancer….  (Creepy music in the background)**

**Cancer: (grows frustrated) Oh my god!! I can't believe that you Gemini! YOU'RE are supposed to be the _MATURE one here! I will _PROVE_ to you just how fake this horoscope thing is. _**

**_(Cancer immediately charges outside)_**

**Gemini: ummmm…. Cancer, I don't think you should_**

Cancer: See Gemini! (Starts singing) Look how beautiful the blue sky is! The birds are singing! The weather is perfect! The grass is green! Oh look at that cute little bear!!! 

**Gemini: _BEAR?!?!?_**

**_(Gemini turns to see a BIG, MEAN and HUNGRY looking grizzly bear charging towards Cancer)_**

**Gemini: Cancer!! That is NOT a _'CUTE LITTLE BEAR'!!! _**

**_(But Gemini was too late and Cancer could be heard screaming her head off)_**

Don't worry readers!! For those of you readers who are not familiar with fanfiction reality, authors NEVER dies or else there will be no one to finish the story LOL. _However…. there aren't any rules that can prevent authors from getting very very VERY hurt though…._

Nevertheless, here is the long awaited chapter 16 of "A Hidden Secret"!! HAPPY READING!!

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**Chapter 16: Unconditional Forgiveness**

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Tasuki slowly sat down on the bed next to the boy while being careful in not waking him up. Why was he here? He knew from the doctor that Kayla was going to be fine. So really, he didn't have to come here. He should have just gone and check on Miaka and then leave things at that. However, despite whatever reasoning he may have, he knew he just had to come here and see the boy himself. Just in case…. whatever may happen…. he could still be here by Kayla's side. 

What was he waiting for? He was waiting for Kayla to wake up. But then what happens after that? What if Kayla was still angry at him? He was sure as hell still angry with himself for being so foolish. If he hadn't open his big mouth and hurt the boy's feeling, Kayla wouldn't be in this mess. Damn! He didn't care what Nuriko had said, it was still his fault. 

Tasuki watched Kayla's peaceful appearance as he sat. How could anyone who looked so peaceful in their sleep, carry so many scars and injuries underneath that blanket? 

Scars….

Didn't he promise himself that he'll protect the boy? Looking at Kayla now had reminded him just how much he had miserably failed. It pained and angered him to see the boy this way. 

"You deserve a better life then this" Tasuki quietly whispered. Unable to help himself, he gently brushed away some of the boy's long dark bangs from his face. His fingers tenderly grazed the boy's face stopping by his jaws near the boy's lips. A confusing feeling overwhelmed him as he allowed his fingers to linger upon Kayla's face. He knew the feeling was a strong affection for the boy…. Like a feeling of a close brother or a close friend or…. what was it?

Tasuki began to feel uncharacteristically nervous. Not just because from this confusing feeling, but from the apprehension of facing Kayla when he wakes up. He still wasn't sure how he was going to face him after all that has happened. _I'm not even sure if he is still angry or not. He probably doesn't even want to see me he thought quickly, __I should just leave right now before he__

Then he heard a groan

_wakes up….Damn…_ He thought belatedly. He quickly took his hand away from Kayla's face before he noticed. __

Kayla was seeing stars when she opened her eyes. Although she was dimly aware that she was in a comfortable bed, she felt sore all over her body especially on her right side and the back of her head. Why was she feeling sore? Why did….

Then it all came back to her. She had a fight with Tasuki. Miaka had gotten hurt. She was fighting that assassin whom she later found out was actually Tamahome….. She was about to be killed before Tasuki had came and saved her…. after that…. after that…. What happened after that? 

Oh her head was killing her!!!

Forcefully, she tried to sit up. However to her surprise, she found herself being pushed back down gently on her pillow. She hadn't even been aware that she had had company in the first place. She looked up for the first time and could barely hide the surprise on her face. "Tasuki?" she spoke softly.

Tasuki gave her a small grin even though it lacked the humour it would usually have on his handsome features. Something was wrong. "The doctor said that you still need your rest in order to heal. You shouldn't get up yet" he said quietly. 

Ok, now something was **_definitely_** wrong. Kayla had rarely seen Tasuki acted so **_SERIOUS_. Usually when he acted serious it was because he was disturbed by something. _But what could he be thinking about? She thought nervously. She had to admit. She would much rather prefer the overconfident and irritating Tasuki than the solemn and mysterious side of him. That way, she could always be on guard with his predictable annoyance. However when he was being unpredictable, she found herself feeling vulnerable because she couldn't expect whatever that may come from him._**

"I don't want to lie down while I talk to you" Kayla said stubbornly. "I want to know what had happen." Again, she made the attempt to sit up despite Tasuki's protest. 

Tasuki signed in frustration but made no attempt to stop her this time. Instead, he placed an arm around her shoulders to support her. This sudden contact caused Kayla to blush. _I really have to stop blushing so much_ she thought. _It can't be healthy for me._

When she was lying on her pillow propped up against the wall, Tasuki removed his arm around her shoulders. She instantly fought the confusing feeling of a sudden lost of warmth. It made no sense what-so-ever. "Is everyone ok? Is Miaka alright? What about that guy who tried to kill her? What happen to him? Why am I here?" Kayla fired one question after another, wanting to know everything that had happened and mostly that everything was alright. 

Tasuki looked lost for a moment but a smirk replaced his confusion. "Calm down, will ya? How do you expect me to answer so many damn questions at the same time?" Tasuki replied with a bit of humour. His seriousness was pushed away for the moment. 

Knowing that he had point, Kayla looked down in embarrassment. "I just want to know that everything is alright….I couldn't' believe that I had fainted"

Tasuki frowned at Kayla's remark. It wasn't the boy's fault that he had fainted. He had already done a damn good job in protecting Miaka when the others hadn't been there for her in time. Kayla wasn't even a Suzaku Seishi and yet his loyalty to his friends was fierce. His opinion for Kayla had already risen immensely because of this event. "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, you did all you damn well could and that was enough" he said seriously, leaving no room for argument. 

Startled, Kayla looked back at Tasuki. Had he just given her a compliment? He had never really done that before. For some reason this little fact had left her speechless. 

Tasuki grinned a little at the expression Kayla was giving him. "If you have to know, everyone is fine, no injuries. Mitsukake is treating Miaka's wounds as we speak, but she'll be ok. That guy who had tried to kill her and had tried to kill you, was actually Tamahome. Could you believe it? He was actually under some f*cking mind control spell from those damn Seiryuu people. But I don't care; I'm still pissed off in what that guy had done to you and Miaka. The reason that you're here is because you're injured. Another thing is that I don't care if the doctor says that you're healing. You are staying put on this bed until you get enough rest even if I have to f*cking tied you down" he said as he answered each of her questions in chronological order.

"Oh" was all Kayla could say after she listened to Tasuki's summary. She was feeling a mixture of comfort, relief and surprise. She was relieved and comforted that everything was going to be fine. However she was surprised to see Tasuki so concern for her and for some reason acting, so…overprotective for her. _He's determined to make sure I have enough rest? Even if he has to tie me to my bed? She was grateful for his concern (even though if it was a bit extreme), but what was with this sudden change in attitude? "Are you alright Tasuki?" she asked, unable to hide her concern anymore.  _

It was Tasuki's turn to look surprised. "Of course I am. I'm not the one who's lying in bed right now, am I?" Tasuki replied, as he chuckled unconvincingly. He turned his gaze from her face. 

"But….." Kayla didn't know how to continue. Something WAS wrong and it was driving her crazy. She didn't like this Tasuki. He was hiding himself from her as if he was feeling…. ashamed or guilty in seeing her. But if that was true, then why was he…..? Then it came to her belatedly. The argument! The one that she had with Tasuki before she found Miaka…. He was feeling guilty because he thought that it was HIS fault that she was hurt. Was that it? It has to be. She couldn't think of any other explanation. 

For some reason, her heart began to ach knowing that he was feeling this guilt. Didn't he know that it WASN'T his fault? Didn't anyone tell him that it hadn't been his fault? Those selfish words he had said to her had wounded her deeply and she had been angry. But that was it…. She _HAD_ been angry. It was in the past. She didn't feel that resentment anymore. He had come and had saved her from getting killed once again. She could still remember vaguely how he had looked at her with such worry and concern before she had fallen unconscious. How could anyone still be angry with him after that?

Besides, if she had been totally honest with herself, she was at some fault too. She had been too reckless in her own way and she had let her pride get the better of her. She had been kind of insensitive and said some things that may have hurt him as well. 

She looked back at Tasuki, who was still refusing to face her. There was an awkward silence between them, each waiting for the other to do something. To do anything!

"I…I..." Kayla opened her mouth to say something only to find to her irritation that she was stuttering again! _Dear Suzaku Kayla! Control yourself and say it damn it!!_ She thought in irritation.

"I… I'm sorry" she blurted out.

"I'm sorry" he apologized at the same time she had spoken.

Pause…

Surprised, Kayla looked up at Tasuki who was mirroring her expression. "How did you know..." Tasuki started, but Kayla interrupted him. "I know you're feeling guilty because you feel that I'm injured like this because of what you said to me before" she spoke quietly yet firmly. "But I want you to know that even though I was hurt by what you had said to me, I'm not mad at you anymore. You had saved my life again and for that I'm grateful. It was partly my fault too… it was a stupid argument, I mean…. it was about a _'spider' for Suzaku sake!" Kayla shuddered little at voicing the name of her worst fear but remained adamant in what she had said to him. _

Tasuki grew silent for a moment after she had spoken, studying her with those intensive amber eyes of his. "So…. you forgive me?" he asked quietly in slight awe and disbelief. He couldn't believe Kayla was offering to forgive him so unconditionally; it was something he hadn't thought would happen after for being such a jerk. 

"Of course I forgive you!" Kayla almost shouted, and then she paused. "As long as you forgive me" she added quietly after. 

Tasuki broke into a grin. "Of course I forgive you, you little baka!" he said with agreement as he playfully placed a hand on Kayla's head, messing up her hair a little. 

"Tasuki!" Kayla almost whined, as she slapped his offending hand from her head causing him to laugh. One could tell that she wasn't really that angry, just annoyed. However, bringing the old Tasuki she knew back was enough for her to let him get away with something like this… this time. _ONLY this time_ though, next time she'll have to kick his butt. 

Then to her surprise, Tasuki enveloped her in a hug. It wasn't an intimate sort of hug between lovers; it was FAR from….._THAT_ she knew. It was a hug given between close friends… trusting friends. She knew that Tasuki was being careful with her injuries because the hug was gentle, comforting and warm. She found that simple act of consideration to be sweet. 

"Don't scare me like that ever again" Tasuki whispered hoarsely close to her ear and Kayla felt a strange tingle in the back of her spine. Speechless, she just nodded in response, knowing that Tasuki could feel it. 

Then he let her go. 

Kayla could feel the lost of warmth once again. Reluctantly she pushed the feeling away. She couldn't understand why she was feeling all these conflicting emotions for one man. It was confusing her constantly. Unwilling to show her confusion, she let out a smirk. "Just because I forgive you this time, doesn't mean I let you off the hook on that drinking promise you made me" she said teasingly. 

Tasuki grin melted into a look of horror and he groaned. "Damn! How long has it been already?"

Kayla pretended to think, tapping a finger on her chin. "Hmmm… let me see. I'll say that about two weeks had passed. So you have about a month and a half to go" she replied with amusement. 

Tasuki groaned again in response and muttered something incoherently. 

Kayla laughed. It was just like old times. 

Despite his misery, Tasuki laughed as well. "Wait till this bet is over, I'm going celebrate by getting myself so f*cking drunk that I won't be able to stand and I'm going to drag you along to join me" he said with an evil smirk. 

Kayla just smirked at his challenge. "We'll see about that" she replied, playing along. 

They laughed for a few moments longer until Tasuki grew solemn again. _Damn, can he change his moods fast! Kayla thought with amazement. _

"I've been meaning to return this to you, I never got around to returning it and I thought this would be a good time as any" Tasuki said as he placed something on Kayla's hand. 

Kayla looked at Tasuki curiously and gasped when she looked down to see the object in her hand. He had removed his hand from hers to reveal…. her necklace!!! How?! She had thought she had lost it forever!! She could not even begin to describe the happiness she was feeling in seeing it again. She gently touched the red jewel with familiar tenderness. However, something about it was different. She took a closer look. The chain to her necklace was different. It was a totally new simple yet elegant silver chain, different from the old rusted one from before. 

"I had to have the chain replaced since the old one was broken" Tasuki explained after sensing her questioning look. When she had said nothing in response, he continued. "It was nothing really. I was just passing by the street stands in this city and I found one of them selling these chains. I thought that I might as well get one to replace the broken one you have and well.... you know the rest" he said quickly as if he thought it was no big deal. 

Kayla looked at him in amazement. She remembered why the old chain had broken. In her urgency, she had to tear it from her neck in order to leave her necklace behind as a clue for Tasuki to find when she had been kidnapped by her uncle. Now, not only he had kept it for her for so long, but he had actually gone through the trouble in fixing it for her!

"This is…. this is…" Kayla didn't know what to say. She was so overwhelmed with gratitude that she was beginning to feel the tears starting to fall. 

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Tasuki asked panicking, mistaking her tears for sadness. What did he do wrong this time?! 

Kayla shook her head profusely. "No of course not! Nothing is wrong!" she said quickly. "Everything is…. right!... I'm happy… more then just happy actually…. this is just… wonderful…" 

"Oh…. Kuso! Kayla, don't cry like that! You can't expect someone like me to figure out what your tears mean" Tasuki said awkwardly, inwardly relieved that Kayla wasn't crying because of him. He couldn't understand why a boy like Kayla could be so sentimental at times. It was _ONLY_ a silver chain that hadn't even cost him that much money and yet.….unexpectedly, seeing Kayla so happy was giving him a feeling of satisfaction unlike anything else. 

"I…. don't know what to say…. I….." She paused trying to find the right words but failed. She was just so touched by this little gesture. Unable to think of any fancy words of gratitude, she settled with whatever saying was in her heart. "Thank you Tasuki" She said quietly, as her gaze met Tasuki's, her golden eyes shining with appreciation. "You don't know what this means to me"

She held the necklace tightly in her hand. It was such a precious gift. Even though this was only a simple act of consideration, the point is….. the **_POINT_ is that no one had ever done something this nice for her! And it was Tasuki who given her this wonderful gift of all people! **

How could this man sitting before her be so unbelievably annoying yet so undeniably sweet at the same time? He was such a walking contradiction!

Tasuki gave her a smirk. "Just don't lose it again. I don't want to return that necklace back to you for a third time" he replied teasingly. 

Kayla gave a small smile and nodded. 

This was how Nuriko had found them when he had entered the room.

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The first thing Nuriko had noticed when he had entered the room was that Kayla was awake. Other then the obvious signs of fatigue on Kayla's face, he…. _SHE seemed to be in good condition considering the beatings she had endured. _

The next thing he had noticed was his fellow Seishi sitting beside Kayla, both (surprisingly enough) seemingly to be in good spirits. That was good news considering he had been worried about what trouble those two hot-headed individuals would stir up. Nevertheless, he was quite sure those two could start up a storm if left alone in the same room long enough.

_They seemed to have made up already_ Nuriko mused as he studied the pair. 

"Am I interrupting you two?" Nuriko asked in an amused tone, surprising the two. 

"Nuriko!" Kayla exclaimed, pleasantly surprised by the violet-haired Seishi's visit. 

"How are you feeling Kayla-chan?" Nuriko asked as he made his way towards Kayla's bedside while carefully balancing the tray he was holding. 

Kayla smiled, "I'm feeling sore all over but other then that, I'm well I guess" 

"It's a good thing you woke up, I was beginning think that fang-boy over here was going to go insane with worry" Nuriko replied teasingly giving Tasuki a wink. 

Tasuki scowled back at him. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about" he denied gruffly even though he had turned his back towards Kayla so that she couldn't see his nervousness. "I already knew Kayla was tougher boy then what that idiot Tamahome could do to him"

Something in his words caused a flicker in Nuriko's eyes and his face became uncharacteristically impassive for a moment. 

"Nuriko, are you alright?" Kayla asked when she noticed the slight change in her friend's expression.

Nuriko snapped out of his reverie. Giving a sad smile, he turned to Tasuki "You know that it wasn't entirely Tamahome's fault. He had been entirely under the influence of some strong mind manipulation that not even Mitsukake could have healed" 

However Tasuki folded his arms across his chest in a stubborn fashion. "Even if that's true, he's going to have to earn my respect" he replied curtly.

Nuriko rolled his eyes at his stubbornness but unsurprised by his attitude. Tasuki was someone who carried a fierce loyalty and protectiveness over his friends. Tamahome had definitely crossed the line with this fiery Seishi by hurting Kayla. It was going to take a while for Tasuki to accept Tamahome into their group. After all, whether he admitted or not, Tasuki cares a great deal for Kayla. He wasn't entirely sure as to what extent he cares for Kayla though. As a friend? A brother? Or something else? That remains to be seen. This brought him back to the issue he had yet to deal with, the main purpose that he was in here in the first place. 

Giving a quick glance at Tasuki's stubborn pose, he made a quick decision of leaving the Seishi out of this confrontation for the time being. 

"Tasuki, you must be tired. Why don't you go rest right now, it's been a long night already" Nuriko suggested. 

"I'm not tired. I can handle not sleeping for days if I want to" Tasuki refused.

"Well…." Nuriko searched for another excuse. "Why don't you check on Miaka and the others then? I'm sure you're worried for them as well" 

"Yeah Tasuki" Kayla agreed. "Why don't you see how they are doing? I would have gone myself but…. well you see…." she said as she indicated to herself on the bed as an explanation.  

Tasuki frowned. "Why do I have a feeling that you two want me out of here for some reason?" he asked suspiciously.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Nuriko asked innocently while Kayla gave him a blank look since she had no idea why Tasuki would think that.

Tasuki sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. I'm going then" and with that he left.

After he had left, Kayla turned to face Nuriko.

"Ummm… How is _'he'?" Kayla asked timidly while fidgeting slightly with her blanket. _

Even though she had not mentioned _'his'_ name. Nuriko could guess who Kayla was referring to. Noticing her fidgeting, he could guess that she was still a bit uncertain about Tamahome. Not that he blamed her; her first impression of Tamahome had certainly not been a good one. However, if she had cared enough to ask about him, then maybe she would have a more forgiving heart towards Tamahome when the time comes. "He fell unconscious due to exhaustion of overcoming his mind manipulation and reverting back to his old self. But he had just woken up a moment ago and seemed to be in good health, if not a little tired" he replied neutrally.

"Oh" Kayla replied. She supposed that was good news. If what Tasuki said about Tamahome being mind manipulated had been true, then she suppose then he was not the traitor that she had first initially thought. For Miaka's sake, she will give the guy the benefit of the doubt even though she found herself quite wary of this man. She wasn't sure if she could face Tamahome for the moment. Maybe later on… but not now. 

"Here drink this" Nuriko said as he sat on the chair that had once been vacated by Tasuki. He handed her a bowl that had been on the tray.

"What is it?" Kayla asked, eyeing the bowl doubtfully. She didn't like the look of the black liquid in the bowl. It looked like black ink or something.

"It's medicine prescribed by the healer. It's supposed to make you heal faster" Nuriko answered with a laugh as Kayla made a face. "Come on, it might not taste as bad as it looks"

Kayla shot him a doubtful but took a deep breath and drank the black liquid in a huge gulp. She choked violently and almost gagged. Nuriko was right, it wasn't as bad as it looks…. it was ten times WORST! It was so bitter!

Nuriko laughed. He secretly took a closer look at Kayla and mentally studied her appearance while she was still distracted. How could he not have noticed all this time? He had been shock to have found out that the boy that he had grown to be friends with had been a girl all this time. Her long black hair tied in a braid with long bangs framing her face. Her large amber eyes (which he found to his amusement) were the same colour as Tasuki's, only her eyes were rounder in shape and framed with long dark lashes. Her face was delicate and petit fitting the rest of her figure. She wasn't beautiful but would be quite pretty if she were to wear female clothing again. Why did she have to hide herself? That was what he had intended to find out. 

"You know…. Tasuki really cares for you" he replied conversationally.

Kayla almost dropped the bowl in her hand that she had been holding. She carefully placed the bowl back on the tray on the table by her bed. "Oh well…. You know…." She answered slightly fidgeting with her blanket again. "He's a good friend despite his arrogance….. but I would be worried for him too if he was hurt" she admitted.

"Really? Are you sure that you're just _'good friends'_ then?" Nuriko continued to push. 

Kayla was surprised. "Of course! What else could we be?"

"Oh I don't know…. It's just that you guys seemed really…. You know…. _'close'" Nuriko said amusedly as he held two fingers up against each other emphasizing on the word '_close'_._

Kayla eyes widen in shock as she realized what he had meant and quickly shook her head. "Of course we're not close!.... I mean we're CLOSE… BUT we're not like THAT kind of _'CLOSE_!" she said trying to express her words more meaningfully, but found herself being tongue-tied instead. 

However Nuriko remained adamant. "Are you _'sure'_?" he asked getting more amused by the minute. It was fun to see Kayla struggling like this. 

"Nuriko! I'm a guy!! I can't and I WON'T like him like that!!" Kayla said desperately as she felt her face growing redder by the second. "He and I are JUST FRIENDS!!"

"I don't see why love has to be defined between genders. Love is love despite who it is directed to" Nuriko stated unwavering. "I, for one is a good example of this cause" 

Kayla groaned and placed her head in her hands "But…. But Nuriko, it's not like I have anything against your preferences. But the point is Tasuki and I aren't like that… the point is_"

"The point is that you're not a boy. That's why it's different between you and Tasuki" Nuriko interrupted her quietly. 

"It's not like….." Kayla stopped her ranting and stared at Nuriko with widen eyes in shock. "W…. What did you say?" she whispered. 

"Stop hiding Kayla. I know your secret. The doctor had told me everything when he had been bandaging your wounds" Nuriko said seriously, all amusement gone from his expression. 

It was then Kayla noticed belatedly of her own condition. She was still dressed in her old clothing and bandaged around the waist where she had felt incredibly sore. Her head was still hurting a little from a dull ach on the back of her head. If the doctor had to bandage her waist then that involves having to remove her shirt. This will eventually lead to him seeing her bounded chest and…. well…. it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together. Her head really hurts right now.

_Nuriko knows! Nuriko knows my secret…._ Her mind screamed. She was having a heart attack! She was having trouble breathing. _He knows!!_

"I think you have a LOT of explaining to do Kayla" Nuriko said calmly, yet there was a warning in his tone of voice. It was kind of scary because Nuriko had NEVER used that tone of voice on her before.

"I… I…." Kayla stuttered, but then hung her head in defeat. "It's a really long story" she mumbled.

"I have plenty of time" Nuriko replied.

And so given without much of a choice, she told him. At first, she was reluctant to give many details. However, as she continued on with her story, she found herself revealing more and more about her past and herself. In the end, she had told him everything. How both her parents had died by the time she was only 11. How she was never happy ever since her uncle and aunt had adopted her. How she had ran away from her relatives. How she had met Tasuki. How she had decided to come with Tasuki on this journey. By the time she had finished, she had this strange feeling of immense relief. Perhaps it was because she had finally taken up the strength to tell someone. It wasn't exactly the way she pictured in how her secret would come out (not that she had planned to have it ever really revealed in the first place). 

Nevertheless, she had never realized just how tired she had been in keeping this secret for so long until she had actually revealed it. 

But then again…..

She looked up at Nuriko whom she had been avoiding direct eye contact ever since she had started her story. He had yet spoken a single word while his expression remained unreadable. Another fear rose within her. Now that he had known that she had been lying to him and the others all this time, would he reveal her secret to everyone? Would Nuriko hate her because she was being a coward?

Her heart sank at the thought. The last person she wanted to hate her was Nuriko. He had always been such a good friend. Even when she had met him for the first time when he had thought that she had been the one who had attacked Miaka, he had chosen to believe in her in the end despite all his doubt. Would she really lose his friendship? She prayed that she wouldn't.

"Nuriko?" Kayla spoke softly, unable to take the silence any longer. "Are you angry? Because… if you are, I will understand." She hung her head and waited for her fate.

Nuriko snapped out thoughts and looked at her. His eyes shining with emotions that she couldn't read. Then his eyes soften. "Look Kayla" He finally spoke as he lifted her chin so that she would look at him. "Despite what you may think, I'm not mad…. Just surprised. It's not everyday that I found out a good friend of mine turns out to be a cross-dresser" Then as an afterthought he began to chuckle slightly. "Now I know how everyone had felt when they had found out that I was not really a woman"

Kayla smiled a little at the memory when she and Tasuki had found out that Nuriko was a man. Then she frowned again. "So…." She fidgeted. "You're really not angry with me" she asked hopefully. 

Nuriko smiled amusedly. "Only a little"

Her face fell.

"Only because you never told me…." Nuriko said quickly at seeing her expression. 

"Well…. what was I suppose to say? Hey everyone! Look! I have been lying to you all this time. I'm actually a girl and not really a guy. But don't worry! I'm still the same Kayla that you all _'know'_ and _'trust'" Kayla said rather sarcastically._

Nuriko sighed and shook his head. "It's not like we won't accept you afterwards just because you're a girl. We would have accepted you either way."

"I know you people are not that shallow, but the point is… I have been deceiving you guys ever since I had first met you guys. Everybody had been so wonderful to me and I still lied to every one of them even Tasuki." Kayla said regretfully and almost bitterly. 

Nuriko was about to protest but was interrupted by Kayla again. 

"Which brings me to my second point, in case you haven't notice, Tasuki _HATES girls. How do you think he will react if he knew the guy he had grown to trust was actually _GIRL_ who had been lying to him all this time from day one? Let me tell you, not a very good one" _

"Kayla_"

"AND another thing, I can't reveal myself now. I'm still not sure if my uncle is still looking for me. He might think I'm dead now after falling off that cliff but then again, maybe not. I can't take that chance. I will die first before I let myself be found by him again!" She knew she was being a bit overemotional; perhaps all the stress, tension and guilt were finally getting to her.

"Kayla!_"

"AND ANOTHER THING!" Kayla practically shouted. She could almost feel the tears in the back of her eyes. But she refused to let them fall. Then, as if she realized that she had been shouting for no reason, she quieted down immediately. "I….. I just don't have the courage to say it…. It's too hard and I'm NOT ready. I'm…. I'm just scared okay?" she spoke quietly. 

Another silence had settled in the room. 

"Are you done venting out some of that stress?" Nuriko asked calmly. She nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed at losing herself so suddenly. 

"If you don't want me to say anything, then I won't reveal your secret to anyone" 

Kayla eyes widen as she look at Nuriko in amazement. Had he just said what she thought he said?! "You…. you won't tell?" Kayla asked in awe. 

Nuriko sighed again but gave a small comforting smile. "I should tell someone, but I guess I'll leave that decision for you to decide" 

Kayla grinned. Then her grin grew into a happy smile. Then the smile turned to laughing. Thoroughly relieved, she gave Nuriko a great big hug all the while laughing at the same time. "Then please don't tell anyone yet" she said gratefully as she held on to the violet-haired Seishi.

Nuriko who had been surprised by Kayla's act of affection, quickly recovered and returned the hug whole-heartedly. How could he stay mad at her? She reminded him so much of someone who was once so dear to him. For a moment, his violet eyes shone with pain and loss. How he had missed her. He would always miss her no matter what he does or how he chose to deal with the loss. His pained expression was quickly replaced by a more peaceful one as he looked down at the girl in his arms. Perhaps…. this was a second chance?

"Don't tell anyone yet" Kayla repeated softly as she finally let go of Nuriko. "… not until I'm ready to tell them myself" she finished.

Nuriko glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "So you DO plan in telling the rest… even Tasuki?" 

Kayla looked down at her hands and found herself still holding her mother's necklace. She fingered the jewel gently. Her eyes came to rest on the glittering silver chain attached to it and she dangled it freely between her fingers. This chain was a precious addition to her most cherished treasure. A gift from the fiery bandit, himself. Could she really tell Tasuki? Even risk losing his friendship for the sake of truth? Could she risk ALL of their friendships? She had been lucky with Nuriko, but…. Nuriko was different…. he understood her, because he had been in a similar situation as hers in the past. 

"I…. I want to tell everyone" Kayla started slowly. "BUT I don't know when I'll have the courage to do so. It's just so…. I'll be risking everything here. Please understand Nuriko." She finished pleadingly. "I promise that I'll try to find the courage to finally tell everyone the truth that I'm a girl. I just need some time and also to make sure that I come out of hiding without the risk of my uncle finding me."

"I guess that's fair enough" Nuriko said nodding. "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret for the time being" 

"Thank you Nuriko" Kayla smiled. She and Nuriko sat there in good companionship, satisfied for the time being. They were happy to be able to come to an understanding and agreement. This moment of peace would have been perfect if Nuriko hadn't ruined it.

"So…." Nuriko replied suggestively. "You still haven't told me the **_REAL_ relationship between you and Tasuki" he said with a smirk.**

Kayla sighed in exasperation. "Nuriko! Tasuki and I are JUST FRIENDS! Nothing more, nothing less!"

"Uh huh" he was obviously unconvinced.

Kayla groaned and massaged her temples. Her head hurts.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was the sound of someone knocking on her door that had interrupted her conversation. Miaka turned to her door curiously. "Who is it?" she called out waiting for a reply.

"Miaka? It's me, Kayla" a familiar voice replied from the other side of her door. 

Miaka face brightened at the sound of her friend's voice. She hadn't seen Kayla ever since that…. incident a few nights ago. She had been meaning to visit Kayla but she had been forced to stay in bed even though she felt perfectly fine now. However her Seishi had refused to let her leave the bed. She mentally groaned, if she didn't love this man so much, she would have hurt him.

"Kayla come in, the doors are unlock" she said invitingly.

Kayla pushed open the doors of her friend and stepped into the room, only to pause hesitantly as she saw the other person in the room other then Miaka herself. The man also shifted nervously at the sight of her.

Miaka glanced between Kayla and the man sitting by her bed and mentally hit herself for being a baka again. _Of course! This would be the first time they would meet other since that terrible night when they had faced each other as enemies_. "Ummmm…. Kayla, I want you to meet Tamahome" she said nervously as she introduced the man beside her. She turned to Tamahome, "Tamahome, this Kayla… you remember him don't you?"

Tamahome nodded and instantly stood awkwardly to greet the boy. His eyes reflected the guilt for the pain he had inflicted upon this boy. He had been meaning to find this boy, Kayla and apologize to him in person and now had seemed to be the best time as any to do it. But now that he was meeting Kayla face to face, he was suddenly aware that he had no idea in how he was going to go about saying it. How do you apologize to someone whom you had just tried to kill only a few days ago?

Kayla remained rooted to her position by the door barely hearing Miaka's introduction of the man beside her. She didn't need an introduction; she remembered perfectly well that the man before her was Tamahome. She watched as the man slowly stood up in greeting. She knew that she would have to meet him sooner or later… it was just that she hadn't expected it to be so soon. She mentally scolded herself that she was being childish. It had already been a few days since she had woken up so there had been plenty of time for her to **_be_** ready. 

The three of them stood in silence wondering who will be the one to initiate the first move. Unexpectedly, it had been Tamahome who had been the first to move. He nervously yet made his way towards Kayla yet held a strong sense of determination to make things right between himself and the boy. He had been the one who had inflicted this pain upon his love, his friends and this boy. Therefore it made sense that he should be responsible to make emends no matter what he had to do or how long it was going to take him. 

"I…. I want to thank you, Kayla-sama." Tamahome spoke; his voice was heavy with the burden of shame. Kayla had seemed startled by his sudden appearance yet said nothing as he listened to what he had said. "I could not even begin to express the gratitude for saving Miaka's life from… myself. I could only hope that you could find it in your heart to forgive me for what I had done" with that said, he waited for the boy's response.

Kayla blinked as she stared at the man before her. She hadn't expected such courtesy from the man nor did she felt any resentment towards him as she had expected she should. However, what she did felt for him was sorrow. Just looking his blue-grey eyes was enough to convince her just how much guilt he was already carrying on his shoulders. Unexpectedly the image of Tasuki's guilty expression fell upon her mind reminding her how much pain he must had felt at that moment. If she had been able to forgive Tasuki for being a jerk, can she forgive Tamahome for something that he had no control over with when he was being manipulated? 

She then remembered how she, herself had felt when Nuriko had forgiven her for deceiving him for so long. The guilt she had felt had been painful, yet the relief she had felt afterwards had been enough to set her free. Why can't she offer the same release to the man standing before her?

_Despite what had happened, it hadn't been totally his fault… if anyone were to blame, it would be those heartless Seiryuu Seishi who had behind this in the first place_ she thought, finally understanding truly what Tamahome must have felt. A genuine smile spread across her face as she faced the man, no longer with fear or hesitations. "It's good to finally meet you, Tamahome" she replied welcomingly.

Tamahome's eyes widen in surprise by Kayla's sudden change of attitude. Was he really being forgiven? He looked back at Miaka, who was smiling at them with relief and encouragement. 

"But…." 

Tamahome turned back worriedly to Kayla who had spoken. _But?_ Does that mean he didn't forgive him after all? "But?..." he asked apprehensively. He was surprised when Kayla gave him a smile in comfort. 

"But…" Kayla said again, slightly amused by Tamahome's worried expression. "Just call me Kayla, Kayla-sama makes me uncomfortable, I'm not use to such formalities" 

Tamahome grinned. He already liked this boy and already knew without a doubt that they were going to be fast friends. "No problem … Kayla."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kayla strolled peacefully down the many routes in the garden. It had become apparent that this little routine had turned into a little habit of hers. Whenever she had wanted to have some time of peace or to think by herself, she would always found herself strolling in the outdoors. Although it was currently late afternoon and the sun was on the verge of setting, she had no intention of going back to her room yet. Maybe because of the fact that she had been caged for the last five years in life causing her to be wary of being cramped inside for a long period of time.

She found herself to be in a particular good mood. She had just finished visiting Miaka, along with meeting the _'real'_ Tamahome. She smiled at the memory. The man was obviously crazy for Miaka and had seemed to be a decent guy with a good heart. _Miaka's really lucky to have someone who loves her so much… I wonder if I'll ever have someone like…_ she stopped abruptly. Where had THAT thought come from?!

She mentally scolded herself. This was NOT the place NOR time to think about such matters. Besides… there was no one in particular that she could think of in which she felt THAT way for… was there? No, of course not! 

It wasn't like she was planning on falling in love with anyone right now. She doesn't even know what 'love' in that particular fashion was suppose to FEEL like! She smirked at a memory. Toushi had once told her that she'll _'know' when she was in love when the time comes. Somehow, she found that still doubtful if not a bit confusing. _

She was momentarily brought out of her thoughts when she heard the distinctly familiar sound of a flute being played. She looked around, and clearly not too far away from her sitting on a rock by a pond was Chiriko playing a peaceful melody on his flute. 

Curiously, she made her way towards the Seishi. When she had finally reached him, he was still oblivious to her presence since his back was facing her. Not wanting to disturb his playing, she decided to just listen. The song was peaceful, and soothing for the soul. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drown into the melody appreciatively. She had always liked to listen to Chiriko played, even though it had been on rare occasions. But… she couldn't understand why she could sense a hint of sadness in his playing.

It was then the playing had stopped. Kayla opened her eyes and found Chiriko looking at her with those gentle blue-green eyes of his. Kayla blushed, she hadn't meant to be caught spying like this… well… not exactly _'spying'_ but close enough. 

"Kayla, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Chiriko asked worriedly. 

Kayla shook her head, making a rather comical expression of disgust. "If I stay indoors anymore, I'm going to go insane" she said as she slowly sat beside the sandy-haired Seishi. "I don't care what everyone is saying, they just can't expect me to stay in my bed forever. I had already been resting for two days straight already!" 

"But_"

"No buts" Kayla interrupted him. She knew Chiriko meant well but there was no way he was going to persuade her otherwise. She had already been pestered by Nuriko, Tasuki and even Miaka and Tamahome just a few minutes ago. No, she was going to enjoy the outdoors today. 

Chiriko smiled at her, accepting momentarily defeat. "All right then, it would be nice to have some company right now" he admitted. Kayla smiled back. _He really has a gentle and understanding soul Kayla thought with admiration. _

"So…" Kayla started conversationally. "Where did you learned to play so well?"

Chiriko smiled and looked down at the flute in his hands. "You could say I had been playing ever since I had learned to walk. Sometimes you can say that it's the only way I can think of to soothe my soul from my worries"

Kayla raised an eyebrow at his comment. "Is that why you're playing?... Because you're worried about something?" she asked carefully.

Something flashed through his eyes at her words, something she couldn't identify. Could it be guilt? But that wouldn't make sense… then a thought came to her. "Are you worried about the summoning?" she asked slowly. Miaka had informed her that they had been planning on summoning Suzaku on the day after tomorrow. 

To her surprised, Chiriko's face paled considerably. She grew a bit nervous. Did she say something wrong? "How... Why would you say that?" Chiriko asked slowly. 

"It was only a guess, I heard that Miaka said that you guys are going to summon Suzaku in two days and I'm just wondering if maybe you're worried about that" Kayla answered as she avoided any direct eye contact with the boy sitting next to her. She didn't know why, but something about the way Chiriko was acting all of a sudden seemed… tensed. However whether she had been imagining or not, Chiriko's strange behaviour had diminished leaving the Chiriko she was familiar with once more. 

"You could say that I am nervous" Chiriko replied hesitantly in a hushed tone, his face revealing nothing of his thoughts. Kayla smiled at him in encouragement. "Don't worry Chiriko, although I had never been directly involved in this war, I think we'll both be thoroughly relieved once peace is finally restored."

Chiriko looked back at her in contemplatively. "Yes, that is all I really want" Chiriko agreed slowly. He looked back up into the sky, watching the sun slowly set in the horizon. "My parents had died in a war when I had been very young. Therefore I had made a vow to myself that I would do whatever is necessary in order to stop this war. It is the only thing I know to do in order to prevent anymore families from being torn apart" he said sadly. 

Kayla's heart ached with sympathy for Chiriko. She had no idea that he had such a tragic past. Despite the boy's friendly nature, he had mostly kept his past to himself. She was touched that he was willing to share such private thoughts with her. She felt obligated that she should return something in return for such honesty. "My parents had died when I was young also. Except my parents had died from sicknesses instead of the war"" she said softly. "It still hurts me that they're no longer here."

Chiriko turned to her in surprise but said nothing. His eyes shone with empathy and he nodded. "Don't you have any other family?" he asked. Kayla tensed but relaxed soon afterwards. Other then Nuriko and Tasuki, no one knew that she was still hiding from her relatives. "I do…" she said hesitantly. "But they had never treated me as if I'm one of them. Therefore it made no difference in whether I had any or not." Her voice never betrayed the pain she felt in admitting this fact. It hurt her that she no longer had any family that loves her. "What about you Chiriko? Don't you have any other family?" she asked directing the question back at him. 

Luckily for her Chiriko didn't question her anymore and he smiled. "I have a brother" he answered simply. 

Kayla was surprised. "A brother? What is he like? Where is he now?" she asked curiously. 

"My brother is the only family that I have left. He and I had always been very close. Unfortunately, he's… living somewhere else at the moment. But once this summoning is done, I will be with him once more" Chiriko answered. Again, that look in his eyes was telling her that he wasn't telling everything there was to tell. Kayla didn't push. Everyone had the rights to their own secrets.

"It must be nice, to have such a close brother like that" she murmured as she turned to the pond, watching the fishes swim in the water. For awhile, they sat there surrendering to the serene silence around them. 

"Did you…" Chiriko spoke hesitantly, breaking Kayla out of her thoughts. "Did you ever feel unsure in something you have always felt was the right thing to do?"

Kayla was surprised. _Where had that question come from?_ "I'm not sure…" she admitted slowly. She paused for a moment to think. "All I know is sometimes, things can get so complicated. Everything is never in black or white, never quite as clear as they seem to be. But I will always follow my heart and hope that whatever comes from it will turn out for the best" She answered carefully.

Chiriko listened to her answer ponderingly, but once again said nothing in reply. Instead, he brought his flute to mouth and he began to play. The beautiful, yet haunting melody filled the atmosphere once more. Both soothing and sad.  

Kayla listened to him play. She was confused as to why Chiriko was acting so mysterious. Was he really worried about the summoning? Or was it because of something else? She didn't want to push him, knowing that he would be reluctant to tell her. Therefore she just sat there, listening to him play while reminiscing in old memories and questioning about the not-so-distant future.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_ "33 bottles of sake on the wall, 33 bottles of sake, _

_I take one down and drank it up,_

_32 bottles of sake on the wall,_

_32 bottles of sake on the wall, 32 bottles of sake…." _

Kayla stopped singing and sighed again. She must be really, _REALLY bored if she was singing Tasuki's drinking song. She looked up at the front entrance of the Suzaku shrine. Everything was as quiet as before. Miaka and her Seishi had been in there for a long time performing the summoning ritual. _

Since she hadn't been allowed to go in, she had waited outside with great anticipation in the beginning. She had been hoping to catch some sort of action like maybe sudden changing of the weather or a great wave of power the moment Suzaku arrives. However after waiting for what seemed like an eternity, she grew bored and just sat in the front steps of the entrance, ignoring the curious looks from passing guards. What was she expecting? Some sort of fancy light show? Fireworks?

Despite her boredom, she was starting to worry. What if something had went wrong in the summoning? They shouldn't be taking this long should they? She shook her head, suppressing the odd feeling of foreboding. _No, I'm just worrying over nothing. I'm sure they would come out very soon._

She was cut out of her thoughts when the doors of the entrance opened abruptly. She stood up immediately and was instantly knocked down again by Chiriko, who had been the first one to charge out of the shrine. The next moments in her life had happened in a blur. One second she had been sprawled on the ground with Chiriko on her, the next second Chiriko had her in a tight neck lock with his hand on her throat threateningly.

"Chiriko! What are you_" 

"You traitor! Let Kayla go!"

Kayla stared back in shock as her gaze travelled to the rest of the Seishi who had come charging out of the shrine. She stood rooted in her position in shock. "What's going on?!" she uttered only to have Chiriko tightened the hold on her neck preventing her from speaking any further. 

"Amiboshi let him go right now! You can't get away" Tamahome demanded. He and Tasuki were the first to come out of the shrine and they stood angrily a few feet away from them. 

_Amiboshi?!?!_

"Don't come any closer! Or I'll kill him!" Chiriko yelled back as he stepped back, dragging Kayla with him. 

Tasuki looked back at Tamahome. They silently agreed that this wasn't the time to act rash. He clutched his Tessan angrily. Just what the hell was Kayla doing here?! Now he was going to get hurt because he just couldn't stay out of trouble. _Kayla you baka!! After I save you, I'm going to f*cking tie you to the bed so you can't get into anymore trouble!!  He thought with frustration._

"Alright Amiboshi" Tamahome replied, seeing that there was no other way. "We're not going to come any closer, just don't hurt Kayla, he's the most innocent one out of all of us here." 

"Don't you dare follow me or else I would be force to kill him" threatened Chiriko/Amiboshi. With that he leapt onto the roof carrying Kayla with him.

"What the hell are you doing?!?!" Tasuki demanded furiously as he clutched Tamahome by the collar. "How could you just stand here and let him get away with Kayla like that?!" 

Tamahome pushed Tasuki away, his eyes reflecting the anger and pain in the decision he had just made. "I had no choice! Would you rather risk Kayla's life when obviously, Amiboshi is using him against us?!" 

Tasuki gritted his teeth in anger but kept his mouth shut this time. _Damn! Damn! DAMN!! _

"Where's Amiboshi?!" 

Both Tamahome and Tasuki turned to see Miaka and the rest of the Seishi ran out of the shrine, each carrying a grave and apprehensive expression on their faces.

"What's going on? Why aren't you two answering?! Where's Amiboshi?!" Miaka asked again, her voice quivering, yet for once she refused to let her tears fall. _I'll cry later but right now I had something more important to do_

Tamahome and Tasuki gave each other a glance before turning their attentions back to the others. "You're going to explain. I don't have the f*cking patience to stand here and wait. I'm going after them!!"  Tasuki said tensely as he gave Tamahome one last glare before he leapt to the roof, determined to catch up to Amiboshi and Kayla. 

"Tamahome what's going on?"

Tamahome turned back to Miaka with a grave expression. "I'm sorry. Amiboshi had gotten away and…. he has Kayla as a hostage"  

Everyone stood in shock. This grave situation had just gotten more critical. 

"Oh no…" 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kayla was confused, stunned, angry and scared. Just what the hell was going on? She couldn't think straight, nothing was making sense!! She was being hauled on Chiriko's shoulder like a sack of rice as he continued to leap from roof top to roof top. She was a little surprised at his strength. Was she really _THAT light? _

"Chiriko put me down this instant!!" she demanded as she came out of her own little shock. 

However Chiriko ignored her as he continued to run, determined to put as much distant from himself and his pursuers as much as possible. He was running out of time. He needed to get away before it was too late. 

He kept running until he reached Konan's harbour. He placed Kayla on the ground. "I need a boat right now!" he called out to the man who was in charge of the boats. 

"Sorry can't do that!" the man called back. "With the recent downpour a few nights ago, the river is too high and many people had been swept away by the strong current and drowned" 

"Damn!" Chiriko cursed, as he searched for other escape roots. 

Kayla who had just about enough, grabbed Chiriko by the arm. "What the hell is going on Chiriko? Why are you running?!" she demanded, forcing Chiriko to face her with his sad blue-green eyes. 

"Don't call me Chiriko…" Chiriko said sadly.

"What are you talking about?! Of course you are_"

"I'm Amiboshi, a Seiyruu Seishi" Chiriko interrupted her protest. 

Kayla stood dumbfounded. How could this be? No it can't be true! It just can't!! She won't believe it!! "Stop joking Chiriko…" she said trying to laugh "That's not funny…" But the look Chiriko/Amiboshi was giving her was telling her that everything was _very_ real. _Amiboshi. The name struck a cord, bringing back an almost forgotten memory within her and everything fell downhill. _

"The assassin…it was really you who had been planning to attack Miaka that night in the forest weren't you? The one who had… almost killed me back at that inn when we had first met?" she whispered hesitantly. The image of the mysterious cloaked assassin back from that fated night in the inn haunted her mind.

Amiboshi gazed at her with sadness, yet made no attempt to deny what she had said. "Now you know the truth" he said grimly. 

"But the Suzaku sign_"

"A fake marking"

Kayla let go of his arm and took a few steps back. Her eyes were hard filled with hurt and anger. "How could you do this? How can you be like this?! You mean that everything that you had done for us had been a lie?!" she demanded.

Amiboshi turned away from Kayla, refusing to let the boy see his guilt. Kayla wouldn't understand. No one would know the difficulty he had to endure in making this decision. "I'm sorry… I never meant to involve you in this. This was strictly between me and the Suzaku Seishi and their Miko. Tamahome was right, you are the most innocent one out of all of us" he said softly. 

 Kayla's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare say that _'Amiboshi'_" Kayla said crossly. "You lied to me and you try to hurt my friends!! I'm just as _'involve' in this as any one of you Seishi are right now even if I'm NOT a Suzaku Seishi myself!" _

"You don't want to be involved in this. You will get hurt or worst…. get yourself killed" Amiboshi said quietly. "I don't want that to happen, I don't want anybody to die"

"Then why did you do it?" Kayla asked, her voice softening filled with hurt. "If you didn't want anyone to die then why did you have to hurt my friends?"

Amiboshi tensed, and turned to face her again. "All you need to know now is that we're enemies. As long as you stay on the side of the Suzaku Seishi and their Miko, you are my enemy. I was not nor will I ever be Chiriko" 

However Kayla didn't back away as he had suspected. Instead Kayla stood firmly before him. "I KNOW you're not like this Amiboshi, you can't be…."

Amiboshi was surprised but turned away again. "You don't know what you're talking about" he denied.

"Don't lie to me Amiboshi, you've done enough of that already!" Kayla spoke determinedly. "You can't be really evil or else… or else you could have killed me the first time we had met at that inn. But you DIDN'T!! You had hesitated in killing me even though back then you had barely even known me!!" 

When Amiboshi remained silent, she continued. "Please Amiboshi, don't run from this. Come back with me… you don't have to fight anymore. I know deep down you do have a good heart. Don't you remember that peaceful evening we had spent in the garden together? We could still have more days like that? Please, I don't care if you're Amiboshi or Chiriko. I just don't want to loose a good friend like you" Kayla had meant every word she had said to him. She had honestly thought of him as a dear friend. How can someone who care so much for life possibly be all this cruel and heartless? She waited for him to make his decision.

"I…." Amiboshi paused clutching his flute as he fought the inner turmoil within him. He wanted so much to believe in Kayla's words but….

"Let him go now Amiboshi!!" a familiar voice interrupted them. 

Before any of them could react, Tasuki charged at them in a breaking speed. There had been nothing that anyone could have done in order to prevent what had happened next. 

Amiboshi, who had tried to dodge Tasuki's ambush, had accidentally tripped and began to fall towards the raging river below. 

"Amiboshi!!" Kayla cried and without thinking, she grabbed hold of Amiboshi's hand. However, in doing so, she also lost her balance and began falling towards the river as well. Just when she had thought that she was going to fall into the raging currents, someone else grabbed hold of her other hand. She looked up in relief to see Tasuki, who had grabbed hold of her hand. She looked back down at Amiboshi, who was shocked that she had tried to save him.

"Damnit hold on!!" Tasuki cried as he struggled to pull both Kayla and Amiboshi back up to solid ground. However despite how strong he may be, he wasn't strong enough to pull the both of them up. _Kuso! Where was Nuriko when you need him!! he thought with frustration. He didn't understand why Kayla was helping that traitorous Amiboshi. But he was sure as hell wasn't going to let the both of them fall into the river like this. _

"Hang on Amiboshi, we're going to get out of this!" Kayla spoke determinedly. Her arms were killing her as she held onto Tasuki's with one hand and Amiboshi's flute with the other. Amiboshi was holding onto his flute, the only thing preventing him from falling into the strong current below. She held on for dear life. She wasn't going to let go now.

Amiboshi stared up in wonder at the boy, Kayla above him. Why did he choose to risk his life to save him? Was he really worth saving after all he has done? He looked up at his hand holding the flute and could see Kayla struggling to keep a strong grip on it. However because of the flutes smooth texture, it was slowly slipping from within Kayla's grasp. If he didn't do anything soon, he and Kayla were both going fall into the river.  He couldn't allow this to happen. He couldn't let Kayla died because of him. _Better if one of us goes then the both of us dying_…. The only thing he will regret was that he would never have a chance to say goodbye to his dear brother.

Kayla eyes widen when Amiboshi's gaze met her own. A dreadful feeling spread throughout her entire being and she tightened the grip on the flute. _Wh… what is he planning? She thought panicking. Then to her shock, Amiboshi whispered only one word to her. One word that she will forever remember. _

"Goodbye" 

and he instantly let go of the flute and plunged into the raging river below. 

Kayla head was spinning. _no….No…NO!!!_ This can't be happening!! "No!! Amiboshi!!" she cried in anguish. She instantly began to struggle against her hold on Tasuki's hand. _Why did he let go?! Why did he?! I was holding onto him and he let go!! She no longer care if she fell or not. She couldn't think straight. _

Tasuki was stunned when Amiboshi had fallen into the river. _How?.... Why? he thought, too shock to speak. However he was brought out of his daze when he felt Kayla struggling against hold. _Baka! Just what does he think he's doing?!_ Without the weight of Amiboshi within his hold any longer, he lifted Kayla almost effortlessly back to safety of the harbour ground. _

Kayla had barely noticed that she was being lifted back up to solid ground. She didn't notice that Tasuki was yelling at her for her stupidity. She didn't hear anything. All she could hear was the repetition of the same words over and over again in her head. _Amiboshi's dead, he's dead and I couldn't help him._

Tasuki stopped his scolding as he noticed Kayla began to tremble. His large dark golden eyes were dazed and full of sorrow. "I couldn't save him Tasuki. He let go and I couldn't save him" Kayla whispered, his voice was filled with anguish. 

Tasuki stood still for a moment, unable to respond. "It wasn't your fault Kayla. You shouldn't blame yourself" he said finally, trying to be as gentle as he could. From what he could tell, Kayla was in shock. He didn't want to say anything that could trigger him into doing more stupid things.

"You… you should have seen his eyes… he was so…" Kayla couldn't go on. She fell to her knees, suddenly feeling very weak. _How could have this had happened? Everything was supposed to go well today! Everything was supposed to be perfect! How could everything fall apart just like this? She closed her eyes tightly, trying to suppress the tears that were threatening to fall. _

Tasuki leaned down slowly beside Kayla, feeling lost as to what to do. Finally doing the only thing he knew that can comfort Kayla, he gently placed an arm around the boy's shoulder and pulled him close to him in a comforting manner. Kayla didn't push him away nor did he acknowledge the fact if he was even aware of him or not. 

"Tasuki? Kayla? What happened?" 

Tasuki turned to see Miaka appeared along with Tamahome and Chichiri by her side. Kayla didn't moved from his position, but at least he had stopped trembling. "Amiboshi had fallen into the river by accident, it's most likely he had drowned" he answered grimly. In truth, he didn't feel sorry for Amiboshi, because he had deserved his fate for his deception and his attempts to kill them all. However, seeing Kayla in this condition he was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. Besides, whether he had been your enemy or not, there was nothing joyful about the fact of someone dying. 

"Amiboshi died? But why?" Miaka whispered in shock, her eyes began to flood with tears. "Why did he die? He was an enemy but he wasn't evil!" she cried into Tamahome's chest as the Seishi embraced her in a soothing manner. 

"I agree" Chichiri said mournfully and he gave a silent prayer. "An evil person can never play such beautiful music" 

Kayla could no longer hold the tears back as she heard Chichiri's words. He was right. No one evil can play such sweet melodies. Sounds and images played in her mind, bringing her back to the moments of that one peaceful evening she had spent with Amiboshi.

_*********_

_"My parents had died in a war when I had been very young. Therefore I had made a vow to myself that I would do whatever is necessary in order to stop this war. It is the only thing I know to do in order to prevent anymore families from being torn apart" Amiboshi said sadly. _

_ "Did you…" Amiboshi spoke hesitantly "Did you ever feel unsure in something you have always felt was the right thing to do?"_

_*********_

_I wished I had knew what you had meant back then Amiboshi… then maybe… maybe I could have prevented all this from happening…. Kayla thought regretfully as she let her tears fall. __But now it's too late…. _

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**Author's Notes: **

**Gemini: **Wow Cancer! Who would have thought that you would get attacked by a bear!! I mean the odds of someone getting attacked by a bear is the probability of 0.01 out of a 500!! You're _LUCKY_ that you only have a broken leg, a splintered left arm, a broken nose….

**Cancer:** .........

**Gemini:** (keeps listing out Cancer's injuries) ….. several battered ribs, one damaged eye, lots of cuts and bruises, two broken toes, and…. what else?

**Cancer:** ……….

**Gemini:** Oh yeah!! And one broken jaw, hence why you are not speaking to me right now. 

**Cancer:** (Sweatdrops)

**Gemini:** SEE Cancer! I _TOLD_ you that you should listen to my horoscope readings and NOT go outside today and did you listen to me? Noooooooooo…..

**Cancer:** …….. (Glares at Gemini thinking _"Must….. kill….. Gemini!!!..... but can't ….move….Damn!!...."_)

**Gemini:** (Oblivious to Cancer's glare) But don't worry Cancer!! I'll take good care of you while you are in critical condition!! (Creepy music in the background returns)

**Cancer:** ………. (Starts to panic _"Nooooooooooooo"_)

Don't worry readers! According to fanfiction reality, authors tend to heal from serious injuries at a very short amount of time. _However….. there is nothing in fanfiction rules that can prevent authors from suffering extreme pain though….. (sweatdrops)_

Thanks for all your support!! Don't you just love Nuriko!! He's such a cool character. It's quite obvious that Nuriko was going to keep Kayla's secret because that's just the way he is!! Anyway we hope that Tasuki didn't seem too out character. We just want to show his sweet caring side as a friend LOL and NO, he is NOT in love with Kayla because he IS STRAIGHT despite his dislike for girls. He's just really protective of Kayla because Kayla is like a close _'brother' he never had. HEHE…. Can you imagine what big brother Tasuki would be like? AWWWWW CUTE!!_

Amiboshi's death had really affected Kayla because you could say that they had been good friends. It's really sad but those of you who are already familiar with the anime then you should know that Amiboshi didn't really die YEAH!!! {^.^} However everyone thinks that he's dead so the results are still quite just as sad AWWWWWW SAD!! {-_-}

Trust is a very delicate matter and probably the most crucial point in Kayla's life. So far her own life is based on the matter of trust. She's afraid of betraying her friends trust (hence why she's keeping her secret) and yet she learns to trust her friends and forgive them so unconditionally (like with Tamahome and Amiboshi) that's why we really like Kayla's character. In some way she's like Miaka (without all her clumsiness LOL) 

Sorry for such a long Author's Note, we just like to keep our readers updated on the happenings and thoughts for our stories. If you have any questions concerning anything for this story feel free to ask us in your reviews. 

Remember to review and tell us what you think of this chapter!! Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we writing it!!! 

Many Love, 

*~Twin Girls~*

P.S. --- If you like our story, check out our Author's Profile for the two new stories that we had recently posted up!! (both written by Cancer and co-written by Gemini)


	17. A Vow of Loyalty

**Disclaimer: You know, if we have a quarter for every time we put up a disclaimer, we'll be rich right now LOL…. But since we don't therefore….. (sigh) …. We, Twin Girls do not own Fushigi Yuugi or its wonderful characters, only Kayla (whom we're very proud of ^.^)**

**Gemini: (Walks in once again reading her _"How To Read Horoscopes For Dummies_" manual book) Wow! I've got to tell Cancer about this!! HEY CANCER!!**

**(Cancer, who had currently just recovered from her past injuries from chapter 16, turns around to see Gemini running towards her)**

**Cancer: (starts to panic when she sees Gemini holding her horoscope book)**** AHHHH!!!! Get that book away from meeeee!!!!!**

**Gemini: But Cancer!! I had important news about your future that I should warned you about (gives an sneaky grin)**

**Cancer: **NONONONONO…. I don't want to know!!

**Gemini: **But according to this it's really bad!! You should know about it!!

**Cancer: NOOOOOOOO!!!!! Last time I had a reading from that stupid book, I ended up with a terrible, terrible fate!!**

**(Please refer to chapter 16 if you don't know what Cancer is talking about)**

**Gemini:** I thought you said that it was a bunch of crap?

Cancer: Not after what had happen to me!!

**(To be continued)**

What could be Cancer's terrible fate this time? Stay tune till next time… Or you could just scroll down and read the Author's Notes LOL. Anyway on with the story. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 17: A Vow of Loyalty**

Amiboshi had died on that fateful day. Even though he had turned out to be a Seiryuu Seishi in the end…. even though he had been lying to us in the beginning about who he had been… I still forgave him. It was because in many ways, he had been like me. Both of us had to hide who we truly are since the beginning for our own reasons. Both of our parents that we had loved so much had been taken away from us when we had been too young. And most importantly, both of us had regretted our actions.

I knew in my heart that Amiboshi had never been truly evil. I believed that he had a good heart and had honestly regretted in his own actions of deceit. Even though his sudden death had been nobody's fault, I still felt that in some way or another that if I could do everything over again, there could have been something I could have done to prevent all this from happening and that Amiboshi would still be alive right now. Another burden of guilt to carry on my already growing pile of other things to feel guilty about. _Wonderful. Nobody had ever asked what had happened between those brief moments between Amiboshi and me that time when he had 'kidnapped' me. I was glad because it would have been pointless and would have changed nothing. _

On the same day that Amiboshi had died, the REAL Chiriko was found. I had been kind of in a surreal daze during the whole time when I had returned to the palace after Amiboshi had fallen in the river. I didn't remember much of what had happened. However the moment the real Chiriko had appeared into my life, it had hit me on full impact just how _'real' _everything had been. Amiboshi's death and deception had all been real and not a dream. And that the little boy standing before me was the genuine Suzaku Seishi, Chiriko. 

Everyone else had dealt with Amiboshi's death in their own ways. I had never questioned them about it just like they had never questioned me. I had dealt with it by withdrawing myself from everyone and staying in my room for the next two days and nights. During those times of solitude, I had been in mourning, yet at the same time I had given myself some time to think as well. 

It wasn't until the second night of my 'withdrawal' that Nuriko and Tasuki had charged into my room demanding that I should stop my foolishness and come back out to face the world again. I could still remember their exact words. 

_"Kayla! We're f*cking tired of seeing you locking yourself in this room. We're ordering you that you listen to us and quit your stupid moping! YOU are going to come to the Star-Watching Festival with Miaka and us tonight. If not, you're going to come out and EAT something! I don't f*cking care if you refuse because we would just tie you up and drag you out if we have to!"_

It was obvious who had been the one who had said that. 

It was then I had realized how much they had all cared and worried for me in return. Therefore I had walked up to Nuriko and Tasuki and spoke just two little words. _"You're right" _and with that, I had walked out of the room, intending to go to the festival. I think I had shocked them beyond belief in coming out so willingly. They had probably expected that they would have to drag me kicking and screaming murder or something. 

To tell the truth, I had _truly_ thought things over. Amiboshi's incident had made me realized just how close I had let myself get involved with Miaka and the Suzaku Seishi. I had once told myself in the past that when I have the chance, I would leave and start a new life on my own. Now, I had realized just how naïve I had been. I could NEVER leave my friends like that, never by choice anyway. Unless I died or…. if they no longer wanted me, I would follow them to the end. Because they had given me so much, they had given me hope, friendship and a new family. They had given me life. 

I had wanted make the best out of the precious time of peace before all of us, (excluding Emperor Hotohori) takes the trip to our next journey: to retrieve the Shinzaho from the country of Hokkan up in the far North. Since Miaka had already burned the Suzaku scroll (a crucial item needed for the summoning) during the ceremony. She was no longer able to summoned Suzaku anymore even though she had collected all of her Seishi. When all hope had seemed to be lost, Taiitsukun had appeared and had told us that in order to summon Suzaku, we would now need to use the power of the Shinzaho. Therefore given without much choice, we had decided to set out in this new mission in the next few days. 

We had also been given the knowledge that our enemies on the Seiryuu side would be after the Shinzaho as well since they were no longer able to summon their god, Seiryuu without Amiboshi. You could decide whether this was good news or bad news. Good news that Seiryuu cannot be summoned or bad news that now we have a crucial race against the Seiryuu Seishi and their Miko, Yui to reach the Shinzaho.   

Another tragedy had struck before we had set out for Hokkan. One that had shattered all of us to the very depths of our hearts. Tamahome's family had been brutally murdered by Amiboshi's twin brother, Suboshi. I had been shocked beyond belief. I remembered how Amiboshi had once told me he had a brother, but he had never told me his brother was actually his _TWIN_ brother and most certainly did not told me that he was also the Seiryuu Seishi, Suboshi. Poor Tamahome, I had cried for the broken man. His family had been totally innocent and Tamahome, himself had never been directly involved with Amiboshi's death. I had been the one who had been involved, even though the whole thing had been an accident. Why did Suboshi go after Tamahome's family and not me instead? Life was cruel. Will the pain ever end?

As we had set sail towards Hokkan on that fated day, we had each made a vow to ourselves that we would do whatever we can to summon Suzaku, win this war and bring peace once again to these lands. I had made a secret vow to myself that I would do whatever I can to protect my friends. I, Kayla had been an orphan ever since I was 11. But I had found a new family now and they are now standing by my side. Tasuki, Nuriko, Miaka, Hotohori, Tamahome, Chichiri, Chiriko and Mitsukake. May Suzaku and my own strength protect them all.

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"I'm sorry, Taiitsukun for being a bit rude" Kayla said nervously as she faced the guardian floating before her in the lonely Suzaku shrine. "But I don't understand why you would want to speak with me alone. Don't you have anything important to tell the rest of the Suzaku Seishi and Miaka herself?" 

The old guardian gazed at her sternly, her expression revealing nothing causing Kayla to fidget with her end of her sleeves nervously. She wished that at least Tasuki or Nuriko or even Miaka was with her right now. At least, she wouldn't have to feel so insignificant and small with them in the room with her. Why did Taiitsukun requested to speak to her alone? It wasn't like she was a Suzaku Seishi or anything related. 

"Your name is Kayla, am I correct?" 

Kayla head snapped back up as the old guardian finally spoken. She nodded slowly in response to her question. 

"Can I ask you some questions Kayla?" 

Again she nodded in response.

"Why are you here?"

Kayla stared in confusion at the old tiny guardian floating above her. "Because you ask me to be here?" she answered slowly.

Taiitsukun snorted. "That is not what I meant. I meant why are you with the Suzaku Seishi and their Miko? They are about to take a dangerous journey where you don't have be involve, yet I can sense your determination to follow them. Why is that?"

Kayla stood dumbfounded. Why was she asking her that? "Because they are my friends, I can't just leave them at a time like this" she answered matter-of-factly.

"But you had wanted to leave them in the past?"

Kayla gasped. "How did you know_" but Taiitsukun interrupted her. "I am the guardian of this world. I know many things. I also know for a fact that your appearance is not really who you are. You continue to hide yourself even though you no longer wanted to, yet you're too afraid."

Kayla glared at the guardian before her annoyingly. "What did you just do? Did you read my mind?" she accused, feeling a familiar surge of panic within her of having her secret once again revealed.

Taiitsukun just smirked. "That is not important in how I knew, but you do not have to worry. This is not my concern therefore I will not reveal your secret to anyone". Kayla sighed inwardly in relief. 

"Next question" 

Kayla mentally groaned but she listened nevertheless in what the guardian had wanted to ask her.

"Do you want a normal life child?"

Kayla once again stared at her in confusion. She did want a normal life, but what does this have to do with everything?

Taiitsukun sighed. "Once you chose this path, there is no turning back. You will have to face whatever consequences that may come in the future for you."

Kayla was puzzled. It seems as though Taiitsukun doesn't want her to go on this journey to retrieve the Shinzaho with the Suzaku Seishi and Miaka. Was there something the guardian was not telling her? Something important? "Is there something you are not telling me?" she asked bluntly, finally voicing her thoughts. 

Taiitsukun studied her for a moment in silence. "There is" she finally answered. 

Kayla waited for the guardian to reveal to her what was the thing that she was not telling her. 

"But it is not the time for me to tell you" Taiitsukun finished.

Kayla almost fell over in disappointment. She groaned in frustration as she glared at Taiitsukun. "You know, you could be a little more straightforward with your questions" she said with unconcealed annoyance towards the old guardian. "You're obviously hiding something important from me and yet you refuse to tell me!!" 

"All will be revealed in a due time" Taiitsukun answered patiently, yet her voice held a stern tone that leaves no room for argument. "I want to ask you one question and I want you to think carefully before you answer me" 

Kayla sighed again in frustration. What was the point of all these questions? And just what was Taiitsukun hiding from her. Does it relate to this upcoming journey or the Suzaku Seishi or just herself personally since she was asked to speak to Taiitsukun alone? She, herself has many unanswered questions, but Taiitsukun wouldn't answer any of them while she has to answer her questions instead. _NO FAIR!! She took in deep breath before she looked back up to the guardian reluctantly. "Fine" she muttered, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. _

"It is clear that you have already decided to choose this difficult path before you. You may have a clear mind now, yet the challenges you may face will leave you in doubt and confused. It is important that you know where you stand in this war. Now I ask you, do you know where your loyalties lie?"

Kayla hesitated in her answer. She knew without a doubt that her loyalties lie with the Suzaku Seishi and Miaka. But what about Amiboshi? The pain of his sudden death still remains fresh within her and she knew that even though he had been a Seiyruu Seishi it had changed nothing about the friendship between them. She had just finished meeting the real Chiriko when she had came back. He was a boy who was only 13 years old, and so different from Amiboshi. Suddenly she just felt like hiding in her room and never come out again. This day had turned out so wrong and she just wanted to escape. However….

She looked back up at Taiitsukun, who was still waiting for her answer. She will still have to answer her question before she could leave. _Just one more question she thought tiredly. "My…" Kayla started slowly. "My loyalties lie with my friends regardless of which side they're on" she finished honestly._

Taiitsukun became silent once more and studied Kayla with a fierce intensity. Then her wrinkled face softens considerably as if seemingly satisfied with her answer. "This journey will be difficult however if you stay true to your words, then perhaps there is still hope"

"Hope? Hope for what?" Kayla asked confused by the guardian's choice for words.

However Taiitsukun continued on as if she didn't hear her question. "You may go now Kayla"

"What? Wait! I'm not finished_" Kayla protested as she found Taiitsukun starting to disappear before her leaving her alone within the dark Suzaku shine. To her surprise, everything started to fade around her. A voice was calling her name and yet she could see nothing as everything was disappearing, leaving her in the dark. 

"Kayla"

_What was happening?_

"Kayla?!"

It wasn't long before she woke up. 

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Kayla bolted from her bed. "What? Where?..." she uttered in between her panting breath. 

"Are you okay Kayla? I was beginning to worry when you didn't wake when I had called you a few times" a familiar voice said from beside her. 

Kayla turned in surprise to see a boy with light brown hair tied in a high ponytail and innocent light green eyes, standing beside her bedside. "Chiriko? What are you doing here?" she asked. 

Chiriko looked worriedly back at her. "Mitsukake wanted me to check on you to see if you're feeling better from your seasickness. Are you feeling alright? You look a bit paled"

Kayla placed a hand tiredly on her forehead as if she was trying to ward off a headache. Her thoughts constantly returning back to her current dream. Why did she have that dream about Taiitsukun? It was a rare occurrence for her. Her dream had been a flashback based on the time when she had been called to speak to Taiitsukun alone shortly after Miaka's second failed attempt in the summoning ceremony. Everyone had been worried with her ever since she had came out of the shrine with a troubled expression on her tired face even though she had assured them that the discussion hadn't been about anything too important. She hadn't let the others know just how much that meeting with Taiitsukun had troubled her. That meeting had left her confused and frustrated. However, she didn't want her friends to find out about it, knowing that it will only worry them further. She didn't even know what it was that she should be worry about since Taiitsukun hadn't really revealed anything to her yet. Just what was Taiitsukun not telling her? 

"Kayla?"

Startled she turned back to the 13 year-old boy. "It's nothing to be worried about. I'm feeling much better now. Remind me to thank Mitsukake later. His medicine worked like a charm on my seasickness"

Chiriko smiled genuinely causing Kayla to smile back in return. She really couldn't help it. At first she had been rather ignorant of the young Seishi due to her mourning for Amiboshi. However as time slowly passed, she had grew warmer to Chiriko. He was one who possessed the strength of great intelligence, something that Kayla had admired and respected. Because he was the youngest member of their group, she and the others had grown to be somewhat protective of the young boy. Even though Chiriko had a great mind, he still possessed the innocence and heart of a child in which Kayla had found endearing. 

She had been sailing on this large ship with her friends towards Hokkan to find the Shinzaho for what seems like an eternity. All she knew was that ever since she had started on this journey, she had discovered that she really doesn't like sailing all that much. It had taken her awhile to get use to the endless sickening motion of the boat. That was why she had decided previously to take a nap to past the time away. She had been lucky that Mitsukake had been able to give her some medicine to help her a bit with her seasickness. Too bad there was nothing Mitsukake could do about the fact of Tasuki great fear of the water during the entire trip. She grinned at the memory at the horrified expression Tasuki had when he discovered that they will be travelling by boat.

"I think I should go up and see how everything is doing" Kayla said as she slowly stood up from her bed. She walked out of her room followed closely by Chiriko. In truth, she really didn't need see how everyone doing because everyone would be doing the same thing as before. When you spent almost about a period of two weeks in the same boat, there is only a limit in how many things you can do. Tasuki was probably still holding on to that sail pole for dear life since he is deathly afraid of water. Miaka, who loves to eat, was probably down at the kitchen or spending time with Tamahome. Tamahome was either spending time with Miaka or keeping track of their money they'll be spending on this trip. Chichiri would be fishing. Mitsukake would be stocking up on healing supplies. Nuriko would be pestering everyone else and Chiriko…. well…. currently he is with her, but could usually be found reading his scholarly scrolls he had brought along with him. 

However, despite how uneventful things had become on this ship, she had been given a chance have some peace before the real journey begins. As Taiitsukun had warned her, the path ahead of her will be difficult. Although Taiitsukun had refused to reveal to her what was ahead of her, she'll need all the support and strength she could gather to face it. 

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"Well this place should be it" Tamahome announced when they had arrived to the entrance of a fairly large city.

"Wow this is Tohran? It's so big!" Miaka exclaimed excitedly as she looked at the busy streets of the city. 

"It has to be, since this is the only village we can find from to the directions the leader of the Tohzoku tribe had given us" Chiriko confirmed matter-of-factly

Kayla shivered a bit due to the cold weather in Hokkan. She looked around the village in amazement. The place was filled with people, all busy with their daily routines to notice the newcomers that had entered their village. It had been a few days now since they had reached to Hokkan by ship. They had been fortunate to reach find a friendly tribe called the Tohzoku tribe and had they had provided her and her friends with great hospitality for the night. Their tribe leader had also been helpful in giving the directions to Tohran, the central city of Hokkan where they could find out more information about in where the Shinzaho may be hidden. And after for traveling for almost two days, they had finally arrived to the city. 

"Finally! I wasn't sure how much walking I could handle! The weather is just too cold for my liking" Nuriko said with relief before a sneaky grinned appeared on his face. "Hey Tasuki, why don't you use that handy little fan of yours and warm me up again"

"Sure, if you want me to fry your ass at the same time" Tasuki replied with a smirk, brandishing his Tessen tauntingly.

Nuriko pouted. "That's mean Tasuki" he said pretending to be hurt by his words. "I mean if '_Kayla'_ would have asked, you would have done it within a second"

"Just what is THAT suppose to mean?!" Tasuki asked suspiciously. 

"Nuriko! What are you talking about?" Kayla spoke, not liking the suggestive tone the violet-haired Seishi was taking. 

"Oh nothing" Nuriko answered nonchalantly even though there was a mischievous glint in his violet eyes. 

"Oh no, you're not getting off that easily" Tasuki half demanded, half amused. "What are you saying Nuriko?"

"He meant nothing, he was only joking" Kayla answered quickly, giving Nuriko a warning look (who returned to her a smirk much to her annoyance). _Nuriko, what do you think you're doing saying something stupid like that. You are so dead when you and I have a little 'talk' afterwards she mentally growled. _

Tasuki raised an eyebrow at her abrupt interruption. "I think Nuriko can answer his own question, he doesn't need you butting in"

Kayla gave him a glare. "I'm not butting in! I don't see why you have to be so persistent in something that was only a joke" she half argued and half defended herself.

"Why are you being so worked up for?" Tasuki argued back amusedly.

"I'm not worked up!" 

"Are too!"

"Are NOT!"

"Why are you always arguing with me?!"

"I'm not arguing with you!"

Tasuki snorted, "Could've fooled me!" he said with a smirk.

"I…. Oh shut up!" Kayla snapped, knowing that she had lost that argument.

"Make me!"

"I will!!" Kayla would have succeeded in launching herself towards Tasuki in an attempt to strangle him if it hadn't been for Nuriko holding her back. "Kayla you have to calm down! And Tasuki, you know better then to bait Kayla like that" Nuriko scolded at the both of them, yet the amusement was easily seen in his eyes. 

"You know, call me crazy but I swear that those two argues like an old married couple" Tamahome mused out loud. He was also enjoying the verbal spar between Kayla and Tasuki. 

Miaka giggled. It wasn't the first time she had heard that comment. 

Tasuki and Kayla both turned to glare at the green-blue haired man with annoyance. "We do not!!" they both said at the same time. A look of surprise appeared both on their faces before they turned back to each other, both challenging each other in a glaring contest. 

Everyone just burst into laughter after that. It was just too funny. 

"You know Tama-chan! I will just have to agree with you on that one" Nuriko said in between his laughing. 

"You know this is your entire fault" Kayla hissed at the violet-haired seishi, finally turning away from Tasuki in annoyance. He in return, turned away from her as well. 

"I know" Nuriko replied back with a smirk, not feeling guilty at all. "And you love me all the same"

Kayla rolled her eyes in exasperation. It was then she noticed something in the sky that immediately made her forget her frustration. 

"Hey guys! It's snowing!" Kayla exclaimed with delight. 

Everyone calmed down in their laughing and looked up. True to her words, soft white snowflakes were falling everywhere, slowly covering the city around them. 

"It's just snow, nothing to get overexcited about" Tasuki said dryly, not understanding Kayla's excitement. 

Kayla gave him a look of aggravation, "I haven't seen snow since I was only 5, you can't blame me if I'm a bit excited right now" she said as if she needed to justify herself. 

"Well, you have to admit, it rarely snows in Konan" Nuriko said as he admired the softly falling snow as well.

"Yeah that's true, the weather is often too warm for it to snow in the south" Tamahome agreed. 

"We should go find an inn to stay for the night since we had been travelling for most of the day no da. Once we had settled in, we can go search for more information concerning the whereabouts of the Shinzaho no da" Chichiri suggested. Everyone agreed and they all set out to find a place to stay for the night. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

_'GRRRRR.....'_

Miaka groaned as she unconsciously held her stomach due to familiar sensation she was feeling at the moment as she followed her friends through the city of Tohran. _Why does my stomach have to do this to me at the worst possible time?! She mentally wailed. She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday and all the travelling had really tired her out. _

She hadn't said anything for fear that it will only slow everyone down. The last thing she wanted to do was to be a burden to her friends. However…..

_'GRRRRRR…..'_

Dear Suzaku!! What was she going to do?!

It was then her ever keen nose caught a tantalizing aroma in the air. Something so appealing that it was making her mouth water. Normally, she would have followed her common senses and not drift far away from her Seishi in unfamiliar territory. However, when it comes to a life and death situation relating to her stomach and food, she tended to follow her sense of smell instead. 

Therefore drifting away unnoticed by her friends in the crowded streets of Tohran, she found herself in the alleyway. She was very close now, so close that she could almost taste it. She found that the smell was coming from a large building. Although it had seemed strange that a large building like this would be hidden from the public view, she took no care in it and snuck in. 

It wasn't long when until she had reached a kitchen-like room. To her delight, she found a table filled with tantalizing and delicious gourmet food. Finding that no one else was there at the moment, she instantly helped herself with the food. Almost inhaling it at record speed. She knew that it was wrong to eat people's food without permission, but maybe afterwards she will repay the kind people of this large household for their great hospitality. 

"Hey girl! What are you think you are doing?!" a harsh voice demanded. 

Startled, Miaka dropped the plate she had been holding and it fell to the ground in loud crash. _Oops… _

She didn't like that sound of that voice. It sounded… mean. She hesitantly turned towards the sound and almost shrieked. She instantly covered her mouth in fear. There, standing by the door of the room was a couple of rough looking men glaring at her. Some looked rather shocked, while some leered at her. She didn't like any of those looks they were giving her. Suddenly, she didn't feel so hungry anymore. 

One the men who had been leering at her, nudged at the man beside him. "I think you scared her with your voice there, Amar" the man said with a smirk. 

The man, whose name was Amar, glared back at the man. "Do you expect me to nice to her after she ate practically half of our dinner here?!" he growled back. 

"Well…" the man replied back with a pause. "I guess then she'll have to pay us back then" he finished with an evil smirk as he eyed the Miaka's body. His intentions were obvious even to someone who was as dense as Miaka. 

Miaka gulped. "I'm so sorry everyone!" she said quickly, slowly backing away from the men, who were now looking at her with unhidden desire in their eyes. "I will pay for the meal I had just eaten. I'll just leave the money here and I'll leave…" her voice trailed off when the men surrounded her. 

"Money? Who ever said we wanted money as payment" one of the men asked with amusement. 

Before Miaka could screamed, two of the men grabbed her roughly by the arms and gagging her with a cloth. Miaka panicked and began to struggle. Unfortunately she was outnumbered. They were just too strong for her. There had to be four of them and only one of her.

They were going to hurt her and she had no one to blame but herself for her stupidity. She regretted immensely for wandering away from her friends. They were probably worried sick for her now. Tears sprang to her eyes. 

"Dear, dear don't cry little girl" taunted one of men as he lifted her chin so she would look at him. His eyes were filled with cruel enjoyment. "We don't want to spoil that pretty face of yours or else you won't look pleasing enough for your customers."

_Cus__…. Customers?.... What does he mean by that? Miaka thought in fear. _

"Take her up to one of the rooms and lock her inside. We don't want her to get away. Its not often we fresh pretty girls to just show up in our doorsteps without us having to pay for them" the man, Amar said with amusement, his anger had subsided now that he had something better in return of the stolen food.

The men carried Miaka away despite her struggling and the muffling of her screaming. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"I've already checked all the nearby restaurants, I can't find Miaka anywhere! Did you guys have any luck?!" Tamahome asked Mitsukake and Chiriko frantically. To his disappointment, they both shook their heads gravely. _Damn! Where is she? I should have kept a better watch at her he thought frustratingly and worriedly. _If anything happens to her….__

Everyone had split up in the city to search for Miaka and was to meet back at the entrance of the city after two hours. Two hours had passed already and there was still no sign of her anywhere. 

"Don't worry Tamahome, I'm sure we'll Miaka. She must still be in the city. There is nowhere else she could have gone" Chiriko stated logically, trying to soothe the worried man's nerves. 

Tamahome ran a hand frustratingly through his hair before a more disturbing thought occurred to him causing him to pale even more then before. "What if the Seiryuu Seishi has her?!" 

Chichiri had mentioned earlier that despite the distance between them and their enemies, the Seiryuu Seishi were slowly gaining up on them. So close in fact that Chichiri was able to sense them with his magic. If that had been true, then Miaka could be in more danger then he had initially thought!

"No, we can't be sure about that. We should wait until everyone is back first before we make any rash conclusions" Mitsukake said comfortingly, placing a hand on Tamahome's shoulder. 

As if on cue, Kayla and Tasuki had appeared, joining their group. "Can you find her?" Tamahome asked, repeating the question he had only asked moments ago. Again no results. 

"How could this happen? She was just right behind us" Kayla said worriedly. She and Tasuki had searched local inns and had asked many people nearby, but none had seen a girl that had fit Miaka's descriptions. 

"This is my fault" Tamahome said regretfully but he was stopped by Kayla. 

"No Tamahome, this is OUR fault, not just yours" Kayla said forcefully. "We all should have paid more attention to her"

"Yes, but_" Tamahome objected, but Kayla put up her hand in finalization. "No buts Tamahome" her voice stated leaving no more room for arguments. 

"Besides, she's a GIRL. Girls always have to be so troublesome. OW! Kayla!" Tasuki protested when he was interrupted by a hit across the head courtesy of Kayla. Kayla only responded back to him with a glare. 

Before Tasuki could return the hit, the remaining two Seishi returned. Surprisingly, Nuriko was holding a unknown man by the arms forcefully while he and Chichiri walked back towards them. "Any luck?" Kayla asked before she looked at the stranger who was currently under the mercy of Nuriko's strong grip. The man has a rough looking exterior to him with messy hair and a pair of slit eyes. She instantly didn't like the man even though usually she was not really one to judge a person by the outside. However the man reminded her too much of the men who would usually work for her uncle. She mentally shuddered. "Who is this guy?"

"Everyone, meet Raijin, this man is the key in how we're going to find Miaka" Nuriko answered calmly before he let go of the man, causing him to stumble forward on the ground. The man named Raijin stared up at the men before him in fear. Everyone looked back at him curiously before they gave Nuriko and Chichiri a surprised look. 

"What do you mean he is the key to us finding Miaka?" Tamahome demanded impatiently as he looked back and forth at Raijin then to Nuriko and Chichiri. 

"We had overheard him talking with his friends about capturing a girl that had fit Miaka's description no da" Chichiri answered calmly. "Nuriko and I decided that we should bring him here before we should decide what we're going to do no da"

Nuriko nodded in agreement. He turned to Raijin with a stern expression. "Tell them what you had told us" he ordered, his face leaving no room for argument.

Raijun swallowed nervously as he gazed back at everyone while they currently waited impatiently for his explanation. He knew that these strangers meant business and since he was outnumbered, he knew he better do as that violet-haired man says if he was to save his own skin. "Y… you see…. I'm from the Kaiori gang and we had just recently captured this girl only a few hours ago. She just sort of walked into our secret hideout and began stealing our food. Our leader, Amar was furious and decided to capture her for our business trade" he stammered out. 

"You have Miaka?! Where is she?!" Tamahome demanded furiously as he grabbed hold of the man's collar threateningly. 

"Tamahome you have to calm down" Nuriko said as he placed a hand on the man's shoulders. 

"How could you expect me to calm down?! This guy had kidnapped Miaka!!" Tamahome said angrily. Unexpectedly it was Tasuki who took the Raijun from Tamahome's hands. However Tasuki held Raijun by his collar very much like what Tamahome had done. "Which group did you say you were from again?" he asked calmly yet fiercely. 

"The… the Kaiori bandits" the man stammered nervously under the fierce glare from the fiery Seishi. 

Tasuki immediately let go of the man, causing Raijun to fall back on the ground cowardly. "Kuso!" Tasuki muttered under his breath, his large frame emitting an aura of anger, and his eyes blazing intensely with great resentment of the title 'Kaiori bandits'. 

Seeing the obvious contempt Tasuki was displaying, Kayla asked the question that had been playing in everyone's mind. "You've heard of the Kaiori bandits Tasuki?" 

Tasuki turned to her and then to everyone else. He was silent for a few moments as if deciding whether he should tell them what he had known or not. He decided on the first option and spoke in a low yet resentful tone. "The Kaiori bandits used to be rivals of the Leikaku bandits" he explained slowly. "However we, Leikaku bandits had driven them out of Konan many years ago and they must have travelled to here in Tohran as their new stronghold." Tasuki paused momentarily as if he was deciding if he should continue or not.

"And what?" Kayla pursued, catching his hesitation. She knew that he must be holding something important if he was acting so serious. Something that all of them should know about.

Tasuki took a deep breath before he continued. "Unlike us, Leikaku bandits who only stole from the rich, the Kaiori bandits stole from everyone whether they're rich or poor, strong or weak. It didn't matter to them. Another fact that they were so despised by us and many other people was the fact was that they worked in the trade for slavery" 

"Slavery?" Nuriko repeated slowly. He didn't like where this topic was heading.

Tasuki nodded. "The last news I had heard from the Kaiori bandits after we had driven them out of Konan was that they were currently kidnapping and taking people especially young girls from their homes or from the streets and selling them out for slavery. It didn't matter to them if they're selling them to rich families or to a whorehouse as long as they're rewarded with huge sums of money" 

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted after he had revealed that last fact. 

"You mean to tell me that Miaka could be sold off as a slave?!" Tamahome demanded furiously, his face was filled with distress and worry. 

"Then what are we waiting here for?! We have to save her right now!" Kayla cried urgently, as she grabbed Raijun by the arm, hauling him to his feet. "Take us to her right now!" she ordered angrily. "We're going over there to save our friend and we'll burn down that stronghold of yours if we have to!"

"Now you're speaking my language" Tasuki said with a smirk as he took out his Tessen readily. 

However before anyone could go anywhere, they were all stopped by Chichiri. "We can't act rash no da!" he said holding out his hand to block their way. 

"What do you mean?!" Tamahome asked impatiently. Chichiri gave him a stern look before he faced the rest of the group. "I mean we need a plan to save Miaka, we can't just barge in there and just fight our way through. For what Tasuki had said, it seems that there will be many bandits there and it won't be easy for us to get her back" 

"What do you mean we can't just barge in there and save Miaka? We're the Suzaku Seishi! We could easily defeat them with no problem" Tasuki stated confidently.

Chichiri sighed. "That's the point Tasuki. Did you forget that we still have the Seiryuu Seishi close on our trails? I could even sense their powers from here right now and I'm not even sure if they could do the same. However, if we all barge into the Kaiori bandits' stronghold right now and fight our way through with our powers, there will be no doubt it will alert the Seiryuu Seishi of our location" 

Everyone stopped, as Chichiri's words sunk into their minds. "Chichiri is right. We will need a more discreet way of saving Miaka without using any of our powers" Chiriko said breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

"Then what are we going to do?" Tamahome asked frustratingly. He knew that Chichiri and Chiriko were both right, but he didn't want to wait here and waste anymore time while Miaka was in danger of being sold off into slavery or even worst, to a… he didn't even want to think of that terrible possibility. 

"Well we need a way to get in there first without causing too much havoc, if we can do that then I'm sure we can find Miaka in there somehow" Chiriko stated matter-of-factly.

"But how are we going to do that? The only people that probably enters and exit there are if you're a bandit yourself or you're a slave or a prisoner" Tasuki said, pointing out another problem.

"That's it Tasuki! You're a genius!!" Nuriko exclaimed excitedly surprising everyone. 

"Of course I am…. Why is that?" Tasuki asked confusedly. 

However Nuriko just smirked with a knowing expression as he was struck with sudden inspiration. "I have a perfect plan in rescuing Miaka from these thieves discreetly and without alerting the Seiryuu Seishi of our presence" 

Kayla looked at Nuriko curiously. She had no idea what Nuriko could be thinking. The tricky Seishi was known in coming up with some of the weirdest ideas anyone could think of. However she will have to put her faith in him. Miaka's life depends on it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Author's Notes:**

**Cancer:** No!! Get away from me!!! I don't want to listen to this (puts her hands on her ears)

**Gemini:** Now you're just being childish…. Anyway according to this book, it says that you should be careful with water and insects for the next few days. 

**Cancer:** (starts to panic) OH MY GOD!!! I'M GONNA DROWN AND I'M GOING TO BE ATTACK BY BEES AND SPIDERS!!!!!!

**Gemini:** It doesn't say that exactly….

**Cancer:** Of course that is what it meant!! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, I'M GONNA DIE!!!!

**Gemini:** Well let's just see her (reads her manual book again) Well according to this…. (suddenly frowns) hmmmm….. this can't be right….

**Cancer:** WHAT? WHAT IS IT? IS THERE MORE?? AM I GONNA TO BE BURNED WITH FIRE AND STRUCK BY LIGHTNING TOO?!?! TELL MEEEEE!!!!

**Gemini:** Well according to this, I had accidentally read your horoscope wrong…

**Cancer:** WHAT?!

**Gemini:** Well according to this book, all those readings had not been for you Cancer but their for….

**Cancer:** WHO?!

**Gemini:** (looks very confused and reads the book again)…. **_ME_**?

**(Silence with crickets chirping)**

**Cancer:** (starts to laugh maniacally) MUHAHAHAHA!!!!! So _YOU'RE_ gonna drown and get attack by bees and spiders!!!!! HAHAHA

**Gemini:** (Sweatdrops)……

**Cancer:** (suddenly grows sympathetic) Don't worry Gemini, I'll take goooooood care of you if anything drastic or fatal happens to you.

**Gemini:** (Swallows nervously) I'm gonna die!!!!

Sorry if this chapter had seemed a little confusing in the beginning with the jumping in time sequence and the changes in perception. The beginning was sort of based on Kayla's thoughts, summarization and revelations during the events that had happened after Amiboshi's death. Basically the story had started again when everyone was on the search for the Shinzaho. And what is the purpose of her dream of Taiitsukun? Well, more will be explain further. 

Just what is Nuriko planning? Well you'll have to find out in next chapter. Don't forget to review. We love them very much!!

Much Love,

*~Twin Girls~*


	18. Rescue Mission: For the Sake of Others

Chapter18 in finally here!! Aren't you excited?! We'll just skip to the story now because we know how anxious you all have been. Thank you for all your patience and support!! Now on with the show!!

**Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi absolutely, positively without a doubt does NOT belong to us… only Yuu Watase is so lucky…. (sigh)**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Rescue Mission: For the Sake of Others**

* * *

Kayla didn't like Nuriko's idea. She didn't like it one little bit. The violet-haired Seishi must have been only kidding. It just wasn't possible. Too many things could go wrong. It was too risky. It made her uncomfortable. It made her panic. It was just….

"Are you sure this is the only way Nuriko?" Kayla asked, her voice almost pleading.

However, Nuriko gave her a solemn look of absolute certainty. "I KNOW this is the only way Kayla. Besides, do any of you guys have a better idea?" he asked the others challengingly.

"Well, Nuriko's idea does have its own appeal," Chiriko said thoughtfully.

"Yes, I'll have to agree no da. Despite that this idea is a little implausible. It just might work no da" Chichiri said giving his own opinion.

"Yes and we are running out of time," Mitsukake reminded everyone. Although he, too seemed to be a bit disturbed with Nuriko's idea.

"I don't care how we have to do it. I just want to save Miaka" Tamahome said determinedly.

"I still don't like it" Tasuki said, clearly as uncomfortable about Nuriko's plan as Kayla was for his own reasons. "I mean…. You want _US_ to disguise as…. as…"

"Say it Tasuki. I know you can," Nuriko said amusingly.

"Girls?!?!" Tasuki finally spitted out in shock.

Nuriko looked back at all of them with a bit of exasperation. "I know it seems a little risky but think about it. You already said it yourself Tasuki. The only ones that probably enters and exits the Kaiori bandit's stronghold would either be bandits or prisoners. If one or two of us disguise ourselves as girls and also another one of us disguise himself as a bandit, we can enter the stronghold as if we're offering a slave trade business of some sort" he explained.

"Yes, and then those of us who are disguised as girls can search for a way to find Miaka once they're inside the stronghold no da," Chichiri added.

Tasuki looked from Nuriko to Chichiri then to the rest of the group finding that he was clearly outnumbered. He slumped in defeat. "Fine, fine, I know this is probably the only way so far" he admitted reluctantly. "But which one of us is going in as a girl? It damn well better NOT be me!"

"Never thought of it, I doubt you'll make a convincing girl," Nuriko said lightly.

"Then who's going to no da?" Chichiri asked, echoing Tasuki's question.

"I am of course, since you could say I have a little experience in the cross-dressing business," Nuriko volunteered.

"But Nuriko, I think you should have someone to accompany you in disguise as a girl. It is less risky that way," Chiriko suggested logically.

"Ok, who's going to join me then," Nuriko asked, looking at the group for volunteers.

"I will," Tamahome spoke up. "If Miaka is in there, then I'm going in"

"Hmmm…." Nuriko mumbled as he narrowed his eyes. He pursed his lips as he walked around Tamahome, silently studying him in a contemplative manner. Then as if coming to a final decision he snapped his fingers. "It's not going to work, you can't go as a girl," he said finally.

"What?! How come?!" Tamahome demanded.

"For one thing, you won't be able to control yourself once you're in the stronghold. We know how much you care for Miaka but we can't afford you to be reckless in this," Nuriko stated.

"But"

"And second thing," Nuriko continued, not letting Tamahome finished. "If you fight the bandits, you can't help but to use your powers. Thus alerting the Seiyruu Seishi."

"But"

"And one last thing," Nuriko continued on, "You're too tall, what are you? 5'8?"

"5'10 but"

"Exactly" Nuriko finished. "The Kaiori bandits won't be convinced enough to believe you to be an almost 6 feet tall _'defenceless'_ girl."

"But you can't expect me to just stand here and wait for you guys to save Miaka on your own!" Tamahome protested angrily.

Nuriko face grew solemn. "I'm sorry Tama-chan. But if you really want to save Miaka, then we'll need to follow this plan right and that would mean that we need to fully convince the bandits that we're a just a bunch of helpless girls."

"Nuriko has a point no da. If we don't get to use our powers then we'll need all the advantages we could get," Chichiri agreed adding his own outlook.

Tamahome slumped in defeat, almost hating himself for being so useless. "Fine," he muttered reluctantly. "But promise me that you'll alert me if anything goes wrong." A hand came upon his shoulders and he looked up to see Mitsukake. His face was filled with understanding.

"We are all worry for her safety, but we have to have faith in our friends," he said wisely.

Tamahome nodded slowly in understanding, allowing a sad smile on his worried face. "Alright then who is going to go with Nuriko inside disguised as a girl?" he asked the question that was going on in everyone's mind.

"We'll need someone who will be able to fool the bandits into thinking that he's a girl of course" Chiriko suggested.

"And it will help if he is small-framed, not too tall nor too short," Nuriko added.

"Looks fcking convincing in women's clothes." Everyone stared at Tasuki who had given the last suggestion. "What? It's true!" Tasuki defended.

"And most importantly, able to defend himself without the use of his powers if anything were to go wrong with the plan no da," Chichiri stated lastly, as he turned his attention back to the group.

A moment of silent fell upon the group of 'men'.

Kayla who had remained quiet throughout the discussion because of her troubled thoughts, suddenly looked up to find everyone staring back at her. It didn't take long to figure out what was going through everyone's mind. "What? **_ME?!_**" she exclaimed, her voice rising slightly in panic.

"Why the hell not? You fit all the requirements. You're a runt, so you will easily fit into women's clothes. You're short and you can fight… like a girl but you can fight nevertheless," Tasuki stated with barely contained amusement.

"Shut up Tasuki," Kayla growled, giving the annoying man a glare that could have killed any lesser man.

"Kayla, Tasuki does have a point even though I can't believe I'm admitting to that. Out of all of us, you and Nuriko are the only ones who can disguise yourself as a girl and actually be convincing," Tamahome said, even though his tone held a bit of reluctance due to the fact that he won't be the one sneaking into the stronghold to save his beloved.

Kayla placed a head on her forehead to ward off an oncoming headache. "I don't know if you're encouraging me or if you're making fun of me," she muttered. "This is insane! I don't want to disguise myself as a girl!!" _This is just going to expose me to everyone_ she silently added to herself in fright.

"Excuse me while I have a word with Kayla here," Nuriko said and quickly lead Kayla away from the rest of the group to a more private area in the streets of Tohran. "What's wrong?" Nuriko asked Kayla once he was sure that none of the other Seishi could hear them.

"What's wrong? What's WRONG?!" Kayla nearly shouted in hysterics. Nevertheless, she lowered her voice again so that she didn't catch any unwanted attentions. "How could you ask me that after you know what they are asking me to do back there?!"

"They're asking you to dress up like a girl."

"Exactly!!"

"But you ARE a girl. Then you should have no problem playing this little role," Nuriko stated the obvious.

"Yes but in case you haven't noticed, they all currently think that I AM BOY! If I dress up like a girl and if something goes wrong, my secret will be out!!" Kayla argued furiously.

"And it will be a bad thing if they found out?" Nuriko asked carefully.

"Yes!!" Kayla cried but then lowered her voice again. "I'm not ready to let them find out yet."

Nuriko gave a sigh as he looked back at the group of Seishi who were looking back at them with curiosity. "Ok Kayla. I know this is going to be difficult for you but you're the best option out of the rest of the group," he reasoned as he turned back to Kayla.

"But what about Chiriko?"

"He's too young. You don't want to put him danger do you?" Nuriko said calmly.

"No I don't…" Kayla admitted. "Ok… what about Chichiri? He has that transfiguration spell that can make him disguise as anyone."

Nuriko gave her a look. "Are you forgetting that we can't use our powers?"

Kayla groaned and slapped her forehead in despair. "But I can't do this!" she moaned.

Nuriko gave a small grin at her childish attitude before he grew solemn again. "Kayla look at me," he said seriously as he turned her around so that she would look up at him. "You have to do this, if not for us then do it for Miaka's sake. She's in danger right now and we're running out of time. And you won't be doing this alone. You still have me to join you. And as far as everyone knows, they all believe that you're only a _boy_ disguise as a _girl_. I made a promise to you that I won't let anyone know your secret until you tell me otherwise. Remember that."

Kayla stood silent for a moment as she gazed up into Nuriko's eyes. His violet eyes shined with sincerity and trust as he waited for her answer. She knew that Nuriko was right and that she was being selfish for only thinking about her own problems when everyone was counting on her. Nuriko would be there for her if anything were to go wrong. Most importantly, Miaka was in danger of being sold off into slavery. She couldn't let that happen to her friend. She knew perfectly well what life as a slave was like. Her five years of agony with her aunt and uncle had taught her that.

She knew that she had already made the decision even before Nuriko had spoke to her privately, but once again; it had been her fear that had been preventing her from doing the right thing. She will have to go through with this risky plan for her friends' sake. She slowly nodded. "Alright Nuriko, you convinced me. I'll do it," she said quietly, hoping she wouldn't regret her decision.

Nuriko smiled at her and gave her a pat in the back. "That's my girl," Nuriko said gratefully earning another glare from Kayla. He just laughed.

* * *

"Nuriko! I can't wear this!!" Kayla exclaimed from behind the drapes that were shielding her from view.

"And why not?" Nuriko asked curiously as he expertly applied the last of his makeup on his face without turning away from the mirror.

"It's…. it's too big!!"

Nuriko gave a sigh and he stood up from the vanity table in the room. Since he was already an expert in cross-dressing in the past, he was already dressed in his disguise, along with arranging his hair into a more feminine look. _This certainly brings back memories_ he thought with amusement as he gave a quick look in the mirror one last time. The moment that Kayla had agreed to his plan, they had immediately gone to purchase some local women's clothes from the city and found an inn where they could change into their disguises. The rest of the Seishi were now waiting impatiently outside for Kayla and himself to change.

"How could it be too big? I'm sure that dress should fit you perfectly," Nuriko argued.

Kayla looked down at herself and made a face at the dress she was currently trying on. In truth, the dress does fit perfectly. It was a nice dress. The light blue top had long flowing sleeves and a high collar suited for the cold weather of Hokkan. The collar, sleeves and the wide dark blue sash that wrapped around her waist were decorated with lines of dark golden flowers that stood out against the dark coloured material enhancing the colour of her amber eyes. The long flowing skirt that came with the outfit was the same colour as her top. All in all it was a very nice dress. However, she was feeling VERY self-conscious about herself since it had been a very long time since she had dressed-up as a girl. Even though the dress was considered plain in compare to other expensive clothes she had seen, it was still one of the nicest dresses she had ever wore in her life.

Kayla sighed. "I look stupid," she whined thinking of another excuse that could delay her from coming out from behind the protection of the drapes. Despite the fact that Kayla was really a girl, she completely lacked the experience in 'dressing up'. Such things include the feminine touch of choosing the right clothes, the right make-up or the arrangement of her hair. She never had the chance to learn nor did she wanted to learn. "The Kaiori bandits are not going to be convince once they see me despite the dress."

"What do you think I'm here for? I'm suppose to help you dress up which is completely ironic since you're the _real_ girl here," Nuriko answered with unhidden amusement. "Now come out now so that I could take a look, we're running out of time," he ordered in a firmer tone.

Kayla took a deep breath. _The things I do for my friends. Nuriko's going to laugh at me for sure _she thought tiredly, as she stepped out from behind the drapes for Nuriko to see.

In opposition to what Kayla had been thinking, Nuriko was far from laughing. In fact, he was temporarily stunned as he stared at the girl who stepped out nervously from behind the drapes. He composed himself shortly afterwards when he had caught himself staring and he let out a broad smile. "Looks like I don't have to do much work after all," he said happily.

Kayla looked at him with a bit of confusion. "What do you mean? I'm not _that_ hopeless am I?" she asked nervously.

For the second time that day, Nuriko just burst out laughing.

* * *

"How long is it supposed to take for those two to finish dressing up?" Tasuki asked impatiently, as he waited in the hallway with the rest of the Suzaku Seishi.

"Well it isn't everyday two guys have to go disguise themselves as girls no da. It will take some time no da," Chichiri said reasonably. Although he was secretly quite curious in how this whole event will turn out.

"Besides don't you have to get ready yourself Tasuki," Tamahome asked. Like the fiery Seishi, he was also getting impatient.

Tasuki snorted."What is there to get ready about? I'm going in as a bandit. If you haven't noticed, I AM a bandit already." Tasuki replied quite obviously. It was true. It had been decided earlier that since Tasuki was the one who was most familiar with the Kaiori bandits, he would be the one who would bring the two so-called prisoners to the stronghold in an attempt to struck a slave deal arrangement. Therefore, it would allow Nuriko and Kayla to sneak into the stronghold and save Miaka unnoticed since the bandits would never suspect their own prisoners. It was an almost infallible plan. Almost that is… the only problem would be how Nuriko and Kayla was going to pull it off without having it all leading to a battle in the end. It was the one question that had been worrying everyone.

"Hey everyone we're ready!" a familiar voice interrupted them causing the group of men to turn towards its source. They were temporarily stunned as they stared at the violet-haired Seishi as he stepped out of room. "Well everyone what do you think?" Nuriko asked with amusement as he mockingly struck a pose. He was dressed in a deep violet coloured dress decorated with patterns of blue butterflies. His hair was fixed back in its usual style during the time he had disguised himself back to days he had spent in Konan's royal court. All in all, he looked very much as feminine as those days when everyone had still believed him to be a woman.

Since he had seen Nuriko in disguise before, Tamahome was the least surprised one out of the whole group by Nuriko's appearance though not by much. _It certainly brings back memories seeing him like this again_ he thought wistfully. However this time, Nuriko was not trying to seduce him to hurt Miaka nor was he doing this to gain Hotohori's attention. He was doing this so that he could save Miaka and for that, Tamahome felt like he owed the man a debt of gratitude. "You looked like you're ready to knock them dead not literally of course," he answered with a smile, while the others snapped out of their reverie.

"Wait till you see Kayla," Nuriko said with a wicked smile. However when he turned around, a frown replaced his smile when he realized Kayla wasn't behind him. _What is holding that girl now_ he thought with annoyance. "Just hold on for a second," he said as he pasted another smile on his face and he charged back inside the room, leaving the others to wait again.

"Do you think something is wrong?" Chiriko asked worriedly as Nuriko disappeared into the room again with the others.

"Probably," Tasuki answered with a smirk. "Kayla probably tripped over his own dress."

* * *

Nuriko walked back into the room seeing Kayla still standing inside hesitantly, wringing her hands nervously. "What are you doing still standing there? Everyone is waiting outside," he said impatiently with his hands on his waist waiting expectantly.

"I don't think I can do this Nuriko. It's not going to work," Kayla said shaking her head. There was absolutely no way Nuriko was going to convince her to step through that door dress like she was at the moment. Her mind was made up. No matter what he says, it wasn't going to work on her. She will stand firm on her decision. She will NOT go through with this.

"What about Miaka?"

Damn!! She should have known that it was a losing battle to begin with.

* * *

"All right everyone, we're ready!" Nuriko announced as he walked out of the room again for the second time.

"Are you really sure you're ready? I don't want you two men to rush yourselves and break a nail," Tasuki commented sarcastically earning a glare from Nuriko, in which he pointedly ignored. He was as impatient as ever and itching for some action. Even though this plan was to be conducted as discreetly as possible, he couldn't help but feel the adrenaline pumping within his veins.

Along with his eager anticipation, he was a tad bit curious in the outcome of what Kayla would look like. _It isn't anything to get excited about. He'll probably look like a clumsy boy in a dress that's all _he thought in amusement as he let his imagination wandered. He wasn't going to give up a chance to tease Kayla mercilessly the moment he steps out of the room in his girlish disguise. This was after all, a once of a lifetime opportunity. How could he resist?

For some reason, he enjoyed driving Kayla up the wall, seeing the fire in the boy's eyes when he fights back or the sheer determination radiating out of him, the unwillingness to back down. It was just both frustrating yet satisfying at the same time. It was a feeling that made Tasuki wondered secretly if his own sanity was still intact. When had he developed such a bizarre habit? To actually enjoy something that can infuriate and irritate him at the same time. Nevertheless that was the feeling he felt whenever he was with Kayla. Sure, he cares for the boy like a close friend or brother (never will he admit it out loud of course) but it doesn't mean he wouldn't take the opportunity to irritate him. It was too much fun.

Yes, he would definitely need to check up on his sanity later on.

He turned away from his thoughts when he noticed Nuriko was tugging someone not-too-gently out of the room. Apparently, Kayla was more then reluctant to come out. Not that Tasuki could blame him. He wouldn't be too keen, himself on showing himself in public if he was caught in a similar position. Unprepared for Nuriko's strength, Kayla was dragged out of room in a matter of seconds. It was at that moment, Tasuki felt his heart stopped.

Kayla - unprepared from Nuriko's strength - stumbled clumsily out of the room and stood before everyone. Unable to gather the courage to look up to watch her friends' reaction, she kept her eyes on her fidgeting hands. To her dismay, there was only silence that greeted her the moment she had stepped out through the door. Even the usual talkative Nuriko was calmly waiting for everyone's responses. _Why isn't anyone saying anything? Do I really look that bad? _she thought uneasily. She had never really cared about her appearances even during the time when she had still dress like any normal girl. She had been too busy surviving to care for such trivial things. Now ironically, her appearance seem to be the most important thing at this very moment now that she was presenting herself as a girl for the first time before her friends. _Say something here!! Anything!!_

Unable to stand the tension any longer, Kayla finally looked up. As she had predicted, everyone were staring at her. However much to her surprise, everyone had seemed…. stunned? Pleased? Surprised? And everything in between. "Ok guys…. enough staring now," she said trying to sound humorous when in truth she was shaking inside. "What do you think?"

It was as if her voice had finally brought the group of Seishi back to reality and enough to stimulate a response.

"Wow Nuriko! You really had outdone yourself this time!" Tamahome exclaimed as he looked at Kayla from head to toe disbelievingly. "If I hadn't known that he was a guy to begin with, I would have been fooled completely!"

"Very convincing work no da! Chirchiri said smiling.

"Kayla, you look simply astonishing!" Mitsukake can't help, but added.

"The Kaiori bandits will be fooled by the both of you for sure," Chiriko said enthusiastically.

"I didn't even have to do that much work… more like everything just… fell into place. No doubt that Kayla is going to attract a lot of male attention if you know what I mean," Nuriko chuckled with satisfaction.

"Nuriko!" Kayla gasped in protest feeling the blush on her face grew redder with every comment. _Convincing? Astonishing? M… Male attention?!_ This wasn't what she had been expecting all.

"What? It's true," Nuriko insisted. "You will certainly be turning a few heads with looks like yours."

"B… but I'm a GUY," she said stressing in the last word very carefully. "I don't want any attention."

"Well no one except us will know that you're a guy will they?"

"But… I… not… NURIKO! That was not really the POINT is it?!" She continued to stammer due to direction this embarrassing conversation was taking place.

While the group continued to watch the interlude between the stammering Kayla and the witty Nuriko with unhidden amusement. Only one member remained surprisingly quiet during the whole conversation. Too lost was he in his own thoughts.

Never in Tasuki's existence had he ever been overcome by so many emotions all at once. How can things be so clear yet so confusing at the same time? Awed yet stunned. Satisfied yet disturbed. Longing yet fearing all at once? And to think all this was merely accomplished from a just a glimpse of the dark-haired boy-in-disguise? How was this possible?!

_He… he isn't supposed to look that damn CONVINCING!_ Tasuki thought in a desperate attempt to keep his emotions in check. He was supposed to make some snide remark about Kayla's appearance now. Society demands it!!

_I never noticed how… cute he is when he stammers… WHAT!!! Where the hell did that thought come from?! Dear Suzaku I must have hit my head somewhere and now I'm having all these fucking weird thoughts!! _Unfortunately his inner turmoil and unusual silence had captured the attention of the other occupants in the hallway.

"Hey Tasuki, don't you have anything to say to Kayla?" Nuriko asked, giving a Tasuki a sly nudge. If Tasuki wasn't so distracted by his thoughts, he would have been tempted to test if the baka's violet braid could lit up like a candle's wick. Of course, now _would_ be his opportunity to take advantage of the situation. He was going to take his role and make fun of Kayla just like he had planned to all along. He was going to show everyone that he was unaffected by the whole thing. Absolutely nothing was going to stop him.

Even if the runt did look good in a dress.

He unconsciously snuck another glance at Kayla. Damn.

_This is it. He's never going to let me live this down_ Kayla thought with exasperation yet surprisingly with less agitation then she anticipated. In fact, you can even say that she was even willing to endure it for once. Not that she enjoyed being tortured or anything. It was just that everyone else's opinions of her new appearance had completely thrown her off balance. With Tasuki, at least she would know what to expect. In cases like these, she would welcome just about _anything_ that was familiar to her just so she could find solid ground once more. EVEN if it means allowing the loud-mouth baka to make fun of her.

Therefore, that was why she stood there with no intention whatsoever of retaliation and waited. And waited.

"Ummm…. You…. You…. You're….." stuttered the so-called loud-mouth baka.

_What is he waiting for? Why doesn't he get it over with already and put me out of my misery. Maybe that way, with me being dead and all, I won't have to go on with this stupid charade._ Kayla thought impatiently. She glanced cautiously at the fiery Seishi, whose face by then was turning into a rather bright shade of red. _He's probably red from trying hard NOT to laugh out loud… nice of him to try though _she concluded with melancholic logic.

"You're… You're… Your flower is… crooked," was what he finally blurted out.

_Well there you go Kayla! Something to be expected! He said that your flower ishuhWHAT?!_ "W..what?" Kayla stammered as her mind went completely blank and stared at Tasuki with a perplexed expression.

"You're flower is crooked," Tasuki repeated rather timidly and pointed towards her head. Upon reflex, her eyes travel upwards which of course succeeded in seeing absolutely nothing.

It was then that everyone else started laughing. Laughing so hard that it practically took all of their strength to remain standing. If an outsider were to walk into the scene now, they would see a group of people laughing like lunatics with the exception of one perplexed-looking individual and another who looked like he would like nothing else but to crawl under a rock and die. Afterwards, that outsider would most likely dismiss the whole scene and return to their room thinking that it would be better not to question about it.

"What? Why is everybody laughing?" Kayla demanded frustratingly. So much for expecting the expected. Not only had Tasuki disappointed her in saying something WAY out of the blue. Now everyone was laughing at them both and she had no idea why!

Finally after feeling some sympathy towards her and having maintained some control over his laughing fit. Nuriko decided to aid with the situation and reached over Kayla's head and rearrange the flower blossom in her hair that (which Tasuki had so gracefully pointed out) was indeed crooked. Just a bit.

"Uh… thanks," mumbled Kayla as she lowered her head in embarrassment. What else could she have said?

"No problem, never thought Tasuki would be so keen on details though," Nuriko replied with a chuckle.

"Shut-up," Tasuki grumbled miserably. His face was also so red with embarrassment that Kayla - looking at him - almost made her feel sort of sorry for him. Almost that it.

_Why didn't he use this chance to crush me? It wasn't like he couldn't and… I don't think he was trying to be nice… no not him… not now…. 'You're flower is crooked'? Even that sounded lame to me _Kayla's mind was in a whirlwind of emotions, mostly consisting of confusion.

"We're just wasting time here. Are we going along with this or not?" Tasuki retorted with annoyance. Then without waiting for anyone else's response, he turned abruptly and walked away. Not that Kayla could blame him for trying to save what was left of his pride.

_And I still have to work with him after this too!_ Kayla thought with dread. _PLEASE_ she silently pleaded, sending a quick prayer to anyone up there who would listen to her. _Please let me get out of this alive… please let me keep my secret for just a while longer. _

* * *

"There is absolutely no fcking way I'm going in there without my Tessan!" Tasuki yelled furiously, holding his iron fan in a death grip and glaring at the masked monk.

Chichiri sighed, though his mask hid his expression well enough, his patience was wearing thin due to the fact that they were running out of time. He mentally prayed to Suzaku for everlasting patience with the fiery Seishi. "You can't bring it with you for this mission no da."

Tasuki literally growled at Chichiri and Kayla was instantly struck with an image a wolf guarding ferociously over his food and possessions; an animal that was definitely not to be taken lightly with. She couldn't really blame Tasuki's protectiveness over his prized weapon, she would have felt vulnerable too if she were to enter enemy territory without any means of defence. Now that she had thought of it, she had NEVER seen him without his Tessan. The fan was like an extension to his arm; a part of him.

"Look Tasuki," Chichiri finally spoke in a much firmer tone, confirming that his patience was definitely wearing away though his serious voice greatly contrast with the expression of his carefree mask. "Your Tessan is an emblem that represents the leader of Leikaku Bandits; a great enemy of the Kaori Bandits. They would most definitely recognize it and identify you as the leader of their greatest rival and then all our plans will be for nothing. Do you honestly want to risk everyone's lives for this?"

Tasuki remained silent though you could tell from his expression that he already knew what the answer would be. Reluctantly, his grip on the Tessan lessened and with a sigh, he handed it to the monk's waiting hands. "I'm going to come back for it so you better take care of it," he said quietly with an underlying tone of warning. Chichiri nodded in understanding and with quick flick of the wrist, the Tessan was gone within some magic fold within his robes. "Don't worry it's in a safe place until you get back no da."

"Then lets getting this fcking plan over with." Tasuki mumbled and turned expectantly at Nuriko and Kayla.

"Stay safe." Mitsukake said with an encouraging nod.

"And remember to use those flares I had given you to alert us if there are any trouble," Chiriko added, referring the flares that he had conjured himself that are hidden securely within the folds of Nuriko's clothes.

"Don't take any unnecessary risks no da. Just get out of there if it becomes too dangerous." Was Chichiri's advice.

"We'll be nearby and ready if needed." Tamahome said lastly.

And with all that said; they were all ready to go.

* * *

As the three of them headed towards the direction of the Kaiori bandit's stronghold according to the directions given by their prisoner, Raijun. With every step closer to their destination, the more nervous Kayla became. A million different questions flew across her mind, each one slowly eating away at her courage when there were so few of it to begin with. So many things can go wrong with this plan like what if the bandits didn't buy their act? What if her secret was exposed? What if Miaka was already hurt? What if… What if… so many _'WHAT IF's'_ that she was sure her head was going to explode!

She wasn't sure if there was a plan once herself and Nuriko were taken prisoner by the bandits and Tasuki gone. Unless the violet-haired Seishi had something up his pretty sleeves, they were going to have to play this by hand.

Speaking of hand….

Kayla looked down grimly at her hands. Both of her wrists were tied tightly together in front of her as the same goes for Nuriko. To add a touch of realism, everyone had decided that it would be more convincing if she and Nuriko have their hands bounded like real prisoners usually have. She shifted her wrists a little, disliking the fact that she will not have full use of her hands. Even though this was all an act, she couldn't help the feeling of being trapped. _Trapped like that time back when uncle almost caught me again _whispered the dark recesses of her mind. She shivered involuntarily. She didn't want to be reminded of that particular.

"Do you want me to loosen those bonds for ya?"

Surprised, Kayla looked up to see Tasuki looking back at her expectantly. She was taken aback by Tasuki's sudden display of attention when he had been practically ignoring her since that embarrassing event in the inn. In fact, this would be the first actual sentence he had spoken to her since then. His face even held a hint of genuine concern meaning that her nervousness must have been really obvious to the others. However, the fact that he had cared had made her heart warmed along with a few skipped beats just from the way his gaze seemed to hold her eyes like that. Almost as if silently asking her if she needed his help and support.

She shook herself mentally when she realized how she was reacting and silently scolded herself for getting all flustered over only a single display of concern. She was just too nervous that was all. "No thanks," she answered, turning away from him. "If you loosen it, then it might not look realistic enough. I'll be okay with this."

For a moment, Tasuki looked as if he wanted to say something but had decided not to and instead nodded in understanding before turning to Nuriko. "What about you, Nuriko?"

Nuriko grinned. "You're forgetting whom you're talking to," he replied easily, holding up his wrists. "I can break these bonds easily whenever I want."

The rest of the journey had been made in silence until they had finally reached their destination. The stronghold had seemed like any regular place located in some abandoned alleyway within the large city of Tohran. It was one of those buildings that would have been easily missed if one were not already looking for it specifically. It was a perfect hideout, big but not too grand to catch unwanted attention and hidden from the rest of city from unwelcome visitors. Not surprisingly, the entrance was unguarded yet Kayla had a suspicious feeling that somewhere they were carefully being watched.

How right she had been, for the minute the three of them had stepped through the entrance, the doors had closed behind them along with a dozen swords surrounded and trapping them in place. Kayla was shocked by the initial urge she felt to withdraw behind Tasuki to distance herself from the deadly weapons but luckily restrained herself in time, knowing that it would be too suspicious to seek protection from her supposed captor.

"Is this how y'all usually greet visitors?" Tasuki spoke casually with a smirk that Kayla found herself somewhat impressed by his act of impassiveness towards their hostile welcome.

"It's how we greet uninvited guests."

The three of them looked upward towards the direction of the rough and unfamiliar voice that answered. The entrance leaded to a rather large room along with a staircase in the centre. Their gazes drew upwards and met a large man slowly descending from the top of the stairs. Judging from the reaction of respect and fear emitting from the other Kaiori bandits, it was very clear that this man was their leader. His cruel grey eyes stared calculatingly and untrusting towards the small group below him. "I should have you all killed just for trespassing," he threatened coldly.

"Not if I have something that you might be interested in," Tasuki replied steadily. Both Nuriko and Kayla could barely prevent themselves from staring at awe at the usually crude and short-tempered Seishi. Was this what the real Tasuki is like? Unconsciously comparing the two leaders of two different groups of bandits had certainly shed new light upon the leader of the Leikaku bandits. While the Kaiori bandit leader emanated an air of distrust and cruelty, Tasuki was different. The Leikaku bandit leader projected a calm and collected aura and yet held a sense of authority and fierce confidence that was easily detected by the people in the room who knew him well enough.

_Was this why he was chosen?_ Kayla found herself wondering. _Why this fiery man was chosen by the previous Leikaku leader to be heir of his place once he passed away? Why Suzaku had chosen him as being worthy for the role of one of his Seishi?_ Seeing him like this was enough to confirm her answer.

"And what could you possibly have that would interest me?" the leader asked, his tone filled with sarcasm and doubt as he reached the ground level and stood before them.

Tasuki raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Instead he gave a small indication to the swords that were still held against them implying that he will speak once the threat was controlled.

Being confident that he still had the upper hand upon them, the leader gave signal for his men to lower their weapons. He then ordered one of his men to search Tasuki for any hidden weapons. The only thing that was found was a small dagger hidden inside one of Tasuki's boots in which the bandit took away. Kayla was only thankful that the leader was ignorant or stupid enough to not order a search done upon herself and Nuriko, under the belief that women are harmless and weak.

Once he was sure that he had the leader's undivided attention, Tasuki shoved both Nuriko and Kayla forcefully, causing them both to stumble towards the leader. "I'm just a man who's looking for a living. Have these two fine specimens for sale and just looking for any potential buyers." He explained, his trademark smirk in place.

The leader narrowed his eyes calculatingly at flamed-hair man trying to decipher if he was telling the truth. However, the stranger's expression revealed nothing. He then walked towards the two standing girls before him. True to what the man had said, these two girls do seem like fine specimen especially the violet-haired one, though the dark-haired one wasn't too far off in comparison. In addition to the other girl that they captured earlier, these three girls will make more then enough profit if he could make the right deals. Not to mention that these stupid girls had practically threw themselves at their doorsteps without them having to resort to the trouble in the first place. Ah, if only things can always be so easy all the time. "On your knees!" the leader commanded the two girls, determined to show them who it was that has the power.

Kayla's insides burned with rage at the leader's command. This… this PIG was a coward!! How dare he prey on the weak!! Her hands clenched and unclenched in fury. She was so close to the man right now and all she had to do was charged at him when he least expected and beat this creep to a bloody pulp without any remorse. It didn't made it difference if her hands were tied or not, she could beat this guy hands down. As she trembled with anger, she felt a slight tugging on her sleeve and discreetly looked up to find Nuriko looking back at her, his eyes silently telling her to control herself.

So her emotions were starting to become obvious again.

Her anger faded a bit and she bit her lips in shame and anger for almost losing herself. Despite what she may think, she still couldn't ignore the fact that this pig still have Miaka hidden somewhere in this god-forbidden place. Therefore with no other choices left, she followed Nuriko's lead and fell to her knees, her eyes never leaving the dirty floor beneath her.

Not noticing her temporary display of rage, the leader sneered satisfyingly. "Obedient and weak," he commented with sick satisfaction.

The leader's words caused the hair on Tasuki's neck to stand. He had nearly lost it when he saw his two friends fell obediently to their knees. He was so enraged by the leader's command that he was on the fine line between blowing his cover and beat this bastard senseless or restraining himself for the sake of everyone else.

Tasuki hated to see his friends suffer and maybe the only reason that he was able to control himself in the end was because of the look on Kayla's face. The boy's face was partially covered by his long, free-flowing hair but Tasuki was able to catch a glimpse of it from the angle he was standing at. He absolutely despised the look on the boy's face for he could practically sense the boy trying so hard to restrain himself from lashing out and maintain whatever dignity was left all for the sake of their friends' life. His heart unexpectedly ached.

He knew that even though he was pained with anger, he couldn't compare it to the humiliation and anger that Kayla and Nuriko was feeling. _Bear it Tasuki! You have to fucking bear with it!_ He repeated silently like a mantra. _You have to do whatever is necessary to convince these bastards in taking the bait!_

A coarse hand grabbed Kayla roughly by the chin and forced her to look up. She found herself staring eye to eye with the leader's cold, grey eyes and forced herself to bit back a scream. He turned her face roughly from side to side studying her face before dropping it again. He then walked over to Nuriko and did the same to him. "I'll give you fifty gold coins for them," the leader finally announced after he was satisfied with what he saw.

Kayla closed her eyes in relief. Good, the bandits had taken the bait. All Tasuki had to do now was to quickly seal the deal and they could proceed with the rest of the plan. However, nothing could have prepared her for what was to happen next.

"No!" was the fiery-Seishi's response.

"No?!" the leader yelled in shock.

_No?!?!?_ Kayla and Nuriko echoed in their head as they both stared at Tasuki wondering if they had heard wrong.

"What is the meaning of this?! I thought you want to sell them?!" the leader demanded angrily.

Tasuki smirked. "I said that I'm only a man looking for a living. A hundred gold coins."

"A… A hundred gold coins!! That's robbery!!" the leader shouted in outrage.

"And I'm a fellow bandit. A hundred gold coins," Tasuki repeated casually.

"Sixty-five then!"

"Hundred."

"Seventy!!"

"Hundred."

"Seventy-eight!!"

"Hundred."

_What the hell is he doing?!_ Kayla thought with dismay as she watched the two men argued over the price. _He's just wasting valuable time, he was just supposed to agree on the first offer and then leave as quickly as possible! Why is he stalling?!_ She turned to Nuriko for answers but her friend seemed just as confused as she was.

She gasped when she was yanked back to her feet and held closely against another's firm body. She was shocked beyond her mind when she realized the one holding her closely almost intimately was none other than Tasuki! His one hand held tightly and securely around her waist while the other held her face forbidding her to look away. _What the…_ before her mind can formed the question, she was captured in the very clear depths of his golden eyes. Even if without his hand holding her face, she realized that she couldn't look away even if she wanted to. His face was solemn and his eyes held the oddest expression. _Trust!_ She realized without knowing how she was able to figure it out through all her shock. _He's asking for trust…. but… why?_

That was when she noticed belatedly that he was lowering his own face towards hers. He stopped lowering when their lips were almost touching and she could feel his breath against her skin and she felt the temperature of her body rose to unbearable heat. Her heart was pounding deafeningly in her ears that she was sure the whole room could hear it. She wasn't naive enough to misunderstand what Tasuki was going to do at that moment. What was worse was that she will have no control over it even though every part of her mind screamed for her to push him away, slap him and run away to the opposite side of the world. But her body was failing to function to her brain's command. _Why?… he can't… no… he can't… please god no… _she silently protested weakly. Tasuki was going to kiss her. Plain and simple.

Then it was over as soon as it had begun. Before his lips had touched hers, he pushed her away again and she stumbled back a few steps in shock. Her hand unconsciously covered her mouth in confusion. What happened?

"You see," Tasuki said coolly as he turned back to the leader of the Kaori bandits. "See how she turns red at even a slight touch from a man. Surely a virgin such as her and her friend are worth the amount I'm asking for."

Kayla's eyes widen in disbelief as Tasuki's words slowly registered in her mind and finally understood everything. It was all part of the act. That little… sham had all been nothing but an act to convince the bandits into further taking the bait. Though she knew that she should have been relieved, all that she felt was numbness. Whether her numbness had been due to shock, relief or even anger, she didn't care. All her mind was thinking was repeating the fact that everything had been an act just for the sake of their cause.

She felt herself ignoring everything around her then. She ignored the fact that her legs finally gave up and she shrank to the ground. She ignored the pain on her bounded wrists. She ignored the slight tugging from her worried violet-haired friend. She ignored the brief hint of concern that had passed through Tasuki's eyes when he gave her a quick glance. She ignored the swift contempt of the situation she had found herself in. And she ignored the moment when the leader had finally agreed to seal the deal.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Whew!! Finally chapter 18 is done!!!

(readers groan "It's about damn time!!!")

(sweatdrops) hehe…. Sorry for the terribly long wait. Initially this chapter was done earlier but due to technical difficulties the file was lost and we had to write it all over again. Believe us when we said that it was really difficult to do so and probably was a bit different from our first draft. However, we're still pretty satisfied with this chapter and we hope that you wonderful readers had enjoyed it.

Poor Kayla, she is really going through a lot during this little dilemma with so much at stakes (especially what Tasuki had done too!!). We know that Tasuki seem a little different from the anime/manga but we believe that when the situation calls for it, he can be the mature, dependable person that reflects his true character. Plus the fact that Kayla did not exist in the anime/manga therefore she must have some effect in bringing out the difference in how Tasuki could act in this story (ooohhh… the possibilities!! LOL). We think that this chapter really showed the different sides of Tasuki besides the endearing, potty-mouth bandit we all know and love. Feel free to tell us what you think about it.

Well what will happen next now that Nuriko and Kayla are in?? How is Miaka coping?? How is everything going to work?? Just what the hell was Tasuki thinking when he pulled such a stunt?? All will be revealed in the next chapter!!

Love Twin Girls

**P.S.** For those of you readers who are still wondering when will Kayla's identity will be revealed (or specifically when will Tasuki know LOL) To tell the truth, it's really hard to pinpoint at the moment which chapter exactly although we do have the idea of how it was going to be done. It's really too much fun to write about the interactions between both Kayla and Tasuki goes through with this whole charade. We hope that it's not getting too tiring for you readers because we really want to build on their relationship first before it all comes tumbling down… (tumbling? hmm….)


	19. Rescue Mission: The Skills of Deception

**Disclaimers: Really, its really obvious that we don't own Fushigi Yuugi and its wonderful characters, our school tuitions are enough to prevent us from buying it. Anyway at least we own Kayla. **

**Now onto part 2 of "Rescue Mission" for all you excited readers. **

* * *

**Chapter 19: Rescue Mission: The Skills of Deception and Fury

* * *

**

Tasuki stalked out into the cold streets barely registering the fact that night had fallen. The busy streets of Tohran city was deserted for the day with the exception of only a few stragglers hurrying home whom he paid no attention to. He walked quickly, determined to get as far away as he could before he could stop himself and follow his initial urge to turn back instead.

_Damnit! I almost blew it_ he thought angrily. He couldn't believe what had happened. Just what the hell was he thinking? Why hadn't he just accepted the first offer like he was supposed to in the first place? If he had done that then he wouldn't have to resort to… that.

He stopped dead on his tracks and stood there staring up into the darken skies not really seeing nor caring. His fist clenched and unclenched. "Kuso," he muttered as he closed his eyes, instantly regretting doing so as the look of Kayla's face sprang to his mind again. The boy's expression filled with confusion, shock and even a bit of fear clearly indicated without a doubt that what he had done to Kayla had startled the boy out of his wits to say the least. Why couldn't he have done something else instead? Why the hell did he have to pull a stunt like that?

All that he knew was when the moment had arrived for him to 'accept' the leader's initial offer; his mouth ran off and flat-out _refused_! He hadn't even realized what he had said until it was too late and had quickly made remedy with an excuse that he demanded more payment instead. It was a good rebound, but why the fuck did he have to DOUBLE the amount? The only explanation for why he only resorted to manipulating Kayla was just so that he could convince the stupid leader to agree to his price before he started having second thoughts and ruining the whole entire plan.

_Congratulations Tasuki, you have just succeeded once again in making an ass out of yourself_ a voice whispered maliciously in his mind. Just fucking great.

"Tasuki, where are you going?"

Startled, Tasuki opened his eyes again to see a familiar figure coming his way. As the figure came closer, he could easily tell that it was no other than just Tamahome and by the looks of it; a _very_ annoyed Tamahome. Tasuki tensed. Did he know? Was that why he looked annoyed? But there was no damn way he could have known unless the man had been hiding some hidden power from everyone all this time. He shifted uncomfortably feeling ridiculously paranoid and uneasy. "What do you mean?" Tasuki answered, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible.

Tamahome finally stopped before him and gave him an irritated look. "Don't you remember? You were supposed to meet up with the rest us near that abandoned house just a few distance away from the stronghold the moment you walked out of there. What are you doing coming out here to the center of the city?"

"I…. I was just making sure I wasn't being followed before I came to meet you guys," Tasuki responded, flat-out lying. Even though now he did recalled that there had been such a plan to meet up, all that he had cared about that time was the fact that he wanted to distance himself away from the stronghold before he let his temper get the better of him and ended up turning back to save his friends and to tear that place apart.

Tamahome studied Tasuki uncertainly. Although his words had justified his behaviour, he couldn't fight the feeling that there was something off about the fiery Seishi's mood. "Hey, are you alright? Did something happened?" he asked worriedly, catching the disturbed expression on Tasuki's face.

Tasuki mentally shook himself. _I really have to stop making all these stupid mistakes_ he thought, feeling annoyed with himself. _There isn't a damn thing I can do to change things now…but damnit! This was supposed to be the EASY part!_ "Fine, everything is just fine," he answered quietly and turned away, heading in the direction of their pre-arranged destination. He stopped fleetingly when a thought occurred to him. Reaching to his side, he pulled out a drawstring pouch that was attached to his coat. Weighing the pouch briefly in his hand, he tossed the pouch to Tamahome, who caught it with ease.

Tamahome stared at the pouch in confusion before he looked at Tasuki questioningly. He knew immediately from familiar jingling and weight of the pouch that it was filled with coins. Lots of it, judging from its weight. But why was Tasuki giving him money? Not that he was complaining, but it was not like Tasuki owed him money, he would have remembered _that_ for sure. "What's all this for?"

Tasuki gave him a look that was unreadable before replying with a gruff voice. "You hold onto it. I don't want to carry it."

"But where did all this money come from?" Tamahome pressed on Judging from his friend's mood and behaviour, something was definitely bothering him.

"Who _cares_? It's money all the same! Just fucking carry it!" Tasuki shouted heatedly, feeling the thin line between his temper and sanity wavering all too quickly.

Instead of getting angry back, understanding dawned upon Tamahome and the blue-haired Seishi berated himself for not realizing it sooner. He looked at the pouch in his hand before looking back at Tasuki again. "This is money you got from the… ummm… trade, didn't you?" he asked quietly, keeping his face as neutral as possible.

The silent response coming from the fiery Seishi was enough of an answer.

Tamahome had to suppressed the initial instinct to drool. After all, he doubt his foul-mooded friend would be very happy if he were to go into a money raving frenzy at a desperate time like this. Nevertheless… can anyone blame him for being a little excited in the face of so much money? "Ummm… how did you get them to pay you so much?" Tamahome asked finally. The poor blue-haired Seishi not knowing that this seemingly simple question was enough to set the ill-tempered Seishi off.

Tasuki's golden eyes darken to a dangerous gleam. Tamahome gulped as he literally felt the angry heat radiating off of his friend. Although Tamahome had distinctly remembered that the fiery Seishi was no longer carrying his Tessan, it didn't prevent him from stepping back nervously from the fiery man with something inclined to fear. _What? Was it something I said?

* * *

_

Nuriko turned to his friend sitting beside him and once again sighed for what seem to be the hundredth time. For the last half hour or so he had been trying to get Kayla to talk to him. Unfortunately, she never responded or if she did, it was never verbally, but only with the occasional absent nod or a shake in the head… not really considered a response in the truest sense.

After Tasuki left, the Kaiori bandits had taken both him and Kayla up into an empty room and locked them inside without any explanation in what they were going to do with them. Kayla had never once resisted nor even seemed to acknowledge the things that were going on around her. True, they were supposed to act as obedient prisoners, but the problem was that Kayla didn't seem to be acting. She was just truly NOT reacting. The only time that he remembered Kayla acting similarly like this was the time when Amiboshi died. This fact only served to make Nuriko worried even more about his friend for he remembered that it had taken Kayla about two days to recover from that 'withdrawal'.

Judging from their current situation now, he wasn't sure they have two _hours_ to spare, much less two days for her to recover.

It was not that he blamed his friend though. Her total state of shock (or whatever she was going through) was the fault made by that baka man also known to be one of his fellow Seishi-- although the term 'fellow' was really stretching the limits right about now.

_That stupid, loud-mouthed, brainless, pyromaniac-excuse of a baka!_ he thought annoyingly, his protective instincts kicking in full range. _Just what the hell did he think he was doing? Even if it was just part of the plan, why did he have to pick **her**? He should have just picked**me** instead. At least if **that** happened, then later on I could always punch the flamed-hair baka through a wall to get even._ But then again, if he was totally honest with himself, it wouldn't have really mattered whom Tasuki had chosen because in the end, Nuriko would STILL be tempted to punch the man through the wall either way.

"I knew that it was all an act."

The words were spoken so softly that Nuriko wasn't even sure that he had heard it at first. He turned and bit back a gasp in surprise when he saw Kayla looking at him for the first time since the incident. What was more she was even smiling a little! Nuriko swallowed nervously. Something didn't seem right. Despite her almost soft, easy smile, a smile that did not reached her eyes. "But you're…" he started, unable to put his feelings of doubt into words.

"There are more important things to settle right now and we can't just sit here forever can we?" Kayla reasoned, lowering her head to stare at her hands.

"But you're not… mad?"

Kayla looked up and blinked as if surprised to hear his question. "Oh I _AM_ mad of course even though I know perfectly what his reasons were…" she gave a hesitant pause before continuing. "But I rather not sit here and just mope about it. Let's just focus on the matter at hand."

Nuriko gave her a worried look, but decided not to push her anymore for the time being. Like she said, there were more important matters to deal with right now. _At least she seems to be coping with it well enough… at least I hope she is_ he reasoned. "Alright, but if you ever feel like talking, you know you can always count on me," he said with a supportive grin.

Kayla smiled again and this time, the smile did reached her eyes, showing her gratitude. "I know Nuriko and I really appreciate that."

With that said, they were finally able to move on to focus once again on their mission at hand.

"So what do we do now? I hope you have an idea Nuriko because I'm just clueless right now," Kayla started, as she examined the room they were locked in.

"Oh I have an idea, but you'll find out what it is later," Nuriko replied with a mysterious smile.

One of Kayla's eyebrows rose in question. "Why couldn't you just tell me now?"

"It will take too long and I don't think we have much time. Besides I need you to do something."

"What?"

"I need you to distract them, only for a short period of time."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that? Stand on top the table and start dancing?" Kayla stated sarcastically.

"Hmmm…"

"That was NOT a suggestion!"

Nuriko chuckled at the red-faced girl. "Why not? I'm sure if you add a bit of stripping along with that dance, you would surely have _all_ their undivided attention."

"NURIKO!"

"Alright, alright. I was just kidding. I wouldn't let you do that even if you wanted to." Nuriko teased before he grew solemn again. "But seriously, don't worry Kayla, I'm sure you will come up with something to distract them when the time comes."

Kayla sighed. "I hope you're right."

"What are you talking about? I'm always right you silly girl." Nuriko teased, giving Kayla an affectionate tap on the head.

* * *

The sound of porcelain breaking echoed within the room. 

"You stupid girl!" the man yelled furiously as he hit the girl across the face. The force of the slap sent the girl down on the floor as one of the ties on her reddish-brown hair locks came loose. The girl bit back a scream of pain but couldn't hold the drop of tears that fell unwillingly down her face. With her hands tied, she had no way of softening her fall, therefore hitting the floor painfully on her side.

The man grumbled as he rubbed his sore hand where the girl had bitten him. All that he had wanted was to get a kiss from the girl in exchange for the food that he had brought for her. However, that stupid girl had to be so ungrateful and even had the nerve to bite him. Well, she can forget her meal then! "You're just lucky the boss didn't want anything else to bruise that little pretty face of yours," he sneered. He angrily stalked out of the room and locked the girl in with her own miseries.

Miaka blinked back some of her tears. This whole mess was all her fault. Why couldn't she have controlled her hunger? Now because of her carelessness, she was separated from her friends and from what she had picked up; about to be sold off to somewhere unknown. Her friends were probably sick with worry and she had no way of contacting them. _The so-called legendary Suzaku no Miko had fallen due to the fact that she didn't have enough wits to control herself_ she thought bitterly.

Despite the fact the Miko would have liked nothing more but to wallow in self-pity, the fact that her friends and many other people were counting on her was the only thread that keeps her from falling into a sea of endless tears. So the girl was determined to put her frustrations aside and think of a way to get out, even if she had to claw her way out of this mess she had landed herself in.

_I can't break down right now. I have too many promises to keep before I let something like this stop me. I have to find a way out and hopefully find my friends and apologize to them _she thought. The resolution shone in the Miko's hazel eyes giving off the fiery determination that had earned her the title of Suzaku no Miko (even if the girl may not have realized it herself).

Her eyes scanned the room quickly for any aid and landed quickly on the broken pieces of porcelain and food left carelessly behind by the bandit who had tried to harass her earlier. Mentally thanking Suzaku for small favors, she quickly shuffled her way towards the broken pieces. Picking a small, sharp piece of porcelain in her hand, she began the awkward and slow procedure of working on the ropes on her hands behind her back.

While she worked on the tedious action, her mind ran through different ideas in which she could escape. Despite being locked alone inside a room, she was quite certain that there was a guard or two outside her door. Therefore she would have to think of some other way to get out. Perhaps out the window? Whatever way it would be, she was determined to escape, and hell hath no fury than an unwavering Miko with a mission.

* * *

Kayla suppressed the urge to curse out loud. Her hands clutching the porcelain pitcher with such a force that it threaten to crumble beneath her fingertips. _'Distract them' he says, 'you will come up with something' he says. Well I hope he is happy because I am sure as hell am NOT! _she thought bitterly. She took another breath to calm herself before she continued walking among the crowd of rowdy, drunken Kaiori bandits while trying to avoid their clutches at the same time.

It had turned out that Kayla's chance to 'distract' the bandits had came easier than expected. Not too long after had Nuriko and she finished discussing their plans, the bandits had barged in and took them away. The Kaiori bandits were apparently in the midst of celebrating for some occasion and ordered Kayla to serve the wine and food. It had been about an hour ago since the feast had started and now Kayla did not only worry about Miaka, but also for her violet-haired friend as well. Nuriko had been separated from her from the beginning and she has no idea where the Seishi had been taken to. _I hope he's alright _she thought worriedly, despite the annoyance she felt for her friend.

Then something caused her to pause momentarily by surprise. In spite of all the noisy chaos of laughing, cheering, fighting from the boisterous group of men and despite the fact that she was putting most of her concentration in avoiding their clumsy grasps; a spoken word rang clear throughout all the commotion, just enough to grasp her attention. "Girl"

Somehow knowing instinctively that the title had not been a directed on her personally, she turned discreetly towards the general direction from where that one word had originated from (not easy with all the other distractions around to deter her). Maybe the Gods had been merciful for once, because it wasn't long before she noticed two men conversing from a nearby table. The scene had looked normal at first glance, but upon closer inspection, she noticed that one of the men looked displeased and had a cloth pressed hard against the palm of one hand.

Suspicious, she discreetly made her way towards the two men while serving drinks and acting like the obedient servant that was expected of her. She stood at a close distance from the two bandits just enough to hear what they were saying, but not enough to draw attention to herself. At the same time, she prayed that the other bandits would be too drunk to notice that she was eavesdropping.

"Ya know the rules, no messing with the goods. Ya deserved whatcha got," the man with rare curly brown hair spoke, a smirk on his face as he teased his companion with the injured hand.

The other man glared at him, not appreciating his companion's humor at his expense. "Well, she got a good slapping for that little stunt she pulled. Now shut up and pass me that drink!" he ordered grumpily.

"What, no please?" the curly-haired man mocked, but passed the wounded man his drink, laughing again at his friend. His comrade threw his cloth on the table and accepted the cup with a scowl. He downed his drink in two gulps with some spilling messily from the side and smacked his lips in satisfaction. He then turned his small brown eyes to survey the room and Kayla nearly froze when she literally felt those shifty eyes landing on her. "You, wench! Get over here and pour me more wine!" the bandit barked roughly.

Kayla's grip tighten on the pitcher within her grasp from the man's offending words and she was quite sure that she could hear the telltale crack starting from the poor, porcelain wine carrier's rim. Nevertheless forced in following the man's orders, Kayla walked stiffly towards the two bandits to pour them their drinks. She kept her head down to maintain the image of inferiority, but also to hide the scorching heat of anger showing in her eyes. There was really a limit to how much a girl can take and this man (someone who possibly knew the whereabouts of Miaka and very probable of having attempted something uncalled for to the girl) was sorely pushing on her limits.

When she was done in pouring their drinks, she began to walk away again discreetly hoping to continue listening in on them from a distance. Unfortunately, the man with the injured hand, had other ideas as his shifty eyes grazed appreciatively on her small figure, long dark hair and deceivingly timid form.

Kayla gasped in surprise when the shifty-eye bandit grabbed her arm suddenly in a rough, but strong grip. Mistaking the look in her eyes as fear more than surprise, the man gave her a lecherous grin. "Well aren't' you a pretty little thing," he crooned, making Kayla's skin crawl as warning bells rang loudly in her head. "Why don't you take a break from all this hard work and I'll show you to a place… shall we say, more comfortable?"

His suggestion along with that lecherous look from the man was all the signals needed for Kayla to know what the man's intentions were. She was shocked from this man's boldness to say the least and neither was his friend's expression far off from her own.

"Now Kronin," the other bandit started out nervously, his earlier amusement gone seeing that his friend was serious this time. "Remember when we said the boss mentioned no messin' with the goods?"

"Stop spoiling all my fun, Taiken, Boss don't need to know nothing if we're quiet about it." Kronin said, his tone giving off a weird ring of excitement and insanity.

"But…" Taiken trailed off, as he glanced uncertainly from the bandit to Kayla and back. "What if she tells?" he finished indicating to Kayla, who was still too stung to form any words of resistance.

Kronin smile turned malicious, sending a chill through Taiken's back. "Then I'll make sure she won't." Kronin finished off, leaving his comment vague, but also too clear at the same time. Then he dragged Kayla away through the rowdy crowd and into the dark halls unnoticed by all but Taiken, whom did not approve of Kronin's act, but had no intention of stopping him.

* * *

Kayla could not believe a person could be so unlucky. Her situation had just landed from bad, to worst, to downright ridiculous! How was it possible for her to find herself in these kind of situations when she had no intention of finding them in the first place? Now she was being dragged unwillingly into this dark hallway in this God-forbidden place by a lecherous bandit, who planned to do unspeakable things to her.

Just the thought of it was enough to make her sick in the stomach. Or make her scream in rage and frustration. Maybe both.

Finally coming back to her wits and senses, Kayla wretched her arm forcibly away from the man's firm grip, surprised she was able to do so on the first try.

His captor, Kronin had been shocked by her strength as well, but was more irritated from her sudden act of rebellion. He always preferred his victims to be submissive rather than troublesome. This girl had certainly gave the impression of inferiority and he was determined to crush this girl back into her place. "What do you think you are doing, you little _wench_?" he hissed, his eyes glaring in irradiation yet morbid amusement. He would love to break whatever spirit that was left in this girl.

Kayla glared back at the man, feeling her rage rise to an unbearable level at his cruelty seen so plainly in his eyes. "You will not touch me again if you know what is good for you," she said warningly, feeling surprise in the stable tone of her voice despite her anger. Surprisingly, during other times like these when she would feel bits of nervousness, doubts, and even fear, this time all she could feel was anger for this man before her. All she knew was this man knew where Miaka was and that she was severely limited in time in finding her and perhaps Nuriko later on as well.

The man laughed at her threat, seeming to take her words as no more than just whimsical act of rebellion. "And what are you going to do to stop me if I do? Try and scratch me?" he sneered.

Just then Kayla noticed something interesting about her current situation. She was in a dark hallway, a good distance away from most of the population of other Kaiori bandits and she was alone with just the one man who can give her all the information that she needs. Perhaps she was not so unlucky after all if she could turn things in her favour. A smirk - that would have rivalled Tasuki's - fell upon her lips as she shied off the remaining acts of a timid girl, standing straight with more confidence but at the same time, guarding in case the man did not heed her warning. "I am not a cat so I don't scratch, but I can hurt you plenty with my fists," she answered, knowing full well the man will probably not take her seriously.

Sure enough the man did not heed to her warning, but only grew more irritated and amused at the same time. "I don't have time for this, listen to me and maybe I won't damage that pretty little face of yours," he threatened and he made to grab her arm again. However, Kayla was ready and she easily dodged his attempts. The man growled and tried again and was once again thwarted by Kayla's dodging.

"Stay still you little wench!" the man hissed. Tired of trying to grab her, and deciding in trying to knock her out instead, he made a lunge towards the girl's head. Kayla quickly blocked one of his punches towards her face, smirking at the man's surprised expression. Immediately, she returned the punch to the man's face, connecting successfully with a telltale crack on the man's nose, no doubt breaking it. The man howled in pain and stepped back away from her giving her personal space temporarily once more. She shook her punching hand a bit, feeling it go a bit numb. For a man with a small mind, the guy does have a hard head. "I told you I could punch. Now stop wasting my time," she said, giving the man another warning.

"Bitch! You will pay for that with your life!" Kronin roared in full range hatred.

Kayla gasped involuntarily at those eerily familiar words from the past, the man's voice replaced by the terrible taunting of her aunt's voice awaken from the recesses of her unconscious mind. Those few precious seconds of distraction was enough to make her lose focus as the bandit landed a swift punch to her cheek. It was not enough to break a jaw, but enough to bruise and give her a pounding headache. Realizing her dire mistake, Kayla forcibly drove her aunt's voice back into the forbidden recesses of her mind and instantly send a knee up hard into the man's abdomen.

The man fell to his knees clutching his abdomen in pain and coughed violently. Angered that she had allowed herself to be distracted and irritated at the man for starting it, she grabbed the man by the back of his collar and forcibly held him upright so she can glared at the man face-to-face.

"Are you still going to harass me or do I have to break your jaw," she threatened. Kronin shook his head with fear as he saw the fire radiating from the girl's amber eyes, knowing full well now that the girl was very capable of her threat.

"Good, now tell me where are my friends?" Kayla demanded.

"F… Friends? Y… You mean the girl who was with you?" Kronin stuttered.

"Her and the other girl that you harassed before me. And don't you deny that you have touched her, I heard your stupid complaining from before!" She warned.

Kronin gulped, knowing full well that he was in trouble. "I d… didn't realize that she was your f… friend, or else I wouldn't have touched her...OWWWW!" he howled in pain again when Kayla pulled him rather painfully in the ear.

"Yes you would. Now where are they?" Kayla said and letting go of his ear once she knew he got the message.

"The girl is locked in one of the rooms in the North Wing on the second floor and I haven't touched anywhere of her than just her face, I swear!" Kronin answered, feeling weak from fear.

"And the other one? The one who was with me?"

"T…the other one is… is…" Then to Kayla's surprise, the man suddenly went limp and his eyes roll to the back of his head. Unable to hold him up with his dead weight in her hands, she simply let the man fell over flat on his face before he could even finish his sentence.

"What the…" Nervously, Kayla flipped the man over on his back and checked his pulse. She drew a brief sign of relief when she felt a faint pulse, but quickly grew irritated again. The man just…. just FAINTED! "Wake up you jerk! I'm not done yet! You still haven't told me where my other friend is! Wake up!" she yelled, shaking the man fiercely, trying to wake him up. Unfortunately, the man was out cold.

Finally letting go of the man, Kayla huffed in frustration and stood up with her hands on her hips and glared at the unconscious man on the floor as if all her suffering was resulted from him (at least some of them were). How lucky can a girl get? Of all the men to interrogate for information, she had to pick one who faints in the sight of fear. "Great, now what am I going to do?" she muttered.

"You can go look for Miaka first."

Kayla nearly jumped two feet into the air at the voice who had answered and quickly turned around in a defensive stance, ready to take down her next opponent. Only surprised to see her friend standing there looking unruffled and unharmed.

Nuriko held his hands up in surrender with an amused glint lit his eyes. "It's ok Kayla, it's just me."

Kayla was shocked to say the least, but overcame it quickly as she gave the Seishi a hug in relief. "Thank the Gods, you're alright! I was so worried!" Then she jumped back quickly just as Nuriko was about to hug her back and gave the surprised Seishi a punch in the arm. "You idiot! You're alright and I was worried for nothing! Just where were you?" she demanded feeling irritated yet relieved at the same time.

Nuriko chuckled at the sudden mood change of his friend while rubbing his arm. "I was proceeding with the plan, and I was just enjoying the show between you and this guy. You put up quite a fight."

"You were _watching_? And you didn't _HELP?_" Kayla said disbelievingly, suddenly feeling like hurting the violet-haired Seishi more severely. Friendships be damned!

To her credit, Nuriko had the sense to look a bit sheepish. "Well, you look like you were handling yourself well, so I didn't want to interrupt your fun." He examined her face with a critical eye. "Although that is going to bruise for quite a bit, we should get Mitsukake to take a look at that when we have a chance," he said, looking more serious at once.

Unable to keep up with her friend's sense of logic and wanting to draw attention away from her bruising left cheek, she turned away shaking her head. "You're impossible," she muttered good-naturedly. "So what was this grand plan of yours that you couldn't have told me about before."

Nuriko looked at her in surprise. "You mean, you haven't figured it out?"

Kayla gave him a pointed look.

"Sorry, just thought that you would have noticed it from the way this guy had passed out." At the confused look he received from Kayla, he decided to elaborate. "Well after I disposed of my captors with my all wonderful charms…" (ignoring Kayla's eye roll, as he continued) "I had secretly added some heavy sedative into all of the stronghold's serving drinks. If my calculations were right, the sleeping powder should have all taken effect and everyone will be out for a couple of hours. Except for a few who haven't drank anything, but those we can take care of if we ran into them."

"Where did you get all that sedative?"

"Mitsukake" Nuriko answered, pointing out the obvious.

"Oh…" was all Kayla uttered as understanding dawned upon her. Then a funny thought came to her and she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"What's so funny?" Nuriko asked, catching the smile.

"Oh nothing, and here I thought the man fainted because I scared him and not under the influences of some drug," she replied with smirk.

Nuriko laughed. "Well I won't be surprised. Who knows? Maybe you _did _scared him into fainting before the drug went into effect."

Kayla stuck her tongue out on him. "I doubt it."

"Oh admit it! It felt good beating that jerk into a bloody pulp!" Nuriko teased, nudging her on the side.

"He's not in a bloody pulp! I didn't use that much violence," Kayla protested indignantly, before a smile crept back on her face. "But you're right, it did felt good beating the jerk up."

They both laughed at the bit of humour of the situation.

"We have to go get Miaka now, this guy told me she's locked in a room on the second floor in the North Wing." Kayla said, once again going back at the matter at hand.

However, Nuriko shook his head. "You go first and find her, I'll check around for any stragglers who haven't fell asleep yet. Can't have them bothering us when we all make our exit from this place."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Kayla asked uncertainly, not liking the fact that they'll be separated again in enemy territory, despite the fact that most of the enemy are unconscious at the moment.

Nuriko smiled reassuringly. "Sure, we'll both be alright, just be alert. I'll join up with you two later."

Kayla nodded, feeling more better at the Seishi's words of encouragement. "Alright, good luck and be careful," and she headed towards the nearest staircase that she could see located further down the hall.

"And same to you too. And Kayla?"

"Yes?" Kayla answered, turning back to face him.

Nuriko gave a mischievous grin, "I knew you would be a great distraction, that whole timid, servant girl act was just great!" and he walked off in the opposite direction.

It took short moment for Kayla to register the meaning behind Seishi's words before irritation build up within her again. "YOU WERE WATCHING _THAT _TOO AND _STILL _YOU DIDN'T' HELP ME?"

* * *

Miaka gave a great sigh of relief when her bonds her finally broken, allowing her free movements of her limbs once more. Being as quiet as she could without alerting to anyone outside her room, she made her way towards the window deciding that would be the most sensible, possible route of escape.

Boy was she wrong.

To her dismay, her window was barred just like any prison cell. Momentarily discouraged by this setback, she sighed and leaned her forehead against one of the metal bars vaguely noticing that it was now night in the world outside, so near yet so far from her grasp. She bit her lip while trying to come up with another route of escape. Sure she was free from her rope bonds now, but if she did not get out of this room soon, then it will not make much of a difference in whether she can move freely or not. Which meant that her only other possible means of exiting this room would be out the door. And facing whoever would meet her on the other side.

_Not much of a choice _she thought miserably. The only possible advantage that she may possess was the element of surprise. Not much, but an advantage nevertheless. _Maybe an ambush! _She decided with resolve. With her mind set, she moved away from the barred window and treaded quietly around the room to prepare. Maybe she could find a weapon of some sort of weapon to defend herself.

* * *

Kayla crept quietly down the dimly lit hallway, watchful for any bandits that had been spared from Nuriko's trickery. A chill ran through her, a quick reminder of how much she disliked the cold atmosphere in the whole place. _It's so different from the Leikaku stronghold _she thought absently. While she knew that the Leikaku stronghold wasn't the warmest place in the world (it was a resident for thieves after all), there was a certain… something about that place that invokes within her a certain nostalgia at the thought of it. The feeling felt very foreign and yet she welcomed the feeling like a lost friend. It was almost like a feeling like she had a home to get back to despite the fact that it was not be true. She had only been a temporary 'guest' during her time at Tasuki's home, it wasn't permanent and she wasn't going to give herself the false illusions that she could be. _No matter how much you may wish for it to be true_ that wicked voice whispered within her mind, a voice she remained adamant to ignore. It was ironic that being at enemy territory could invoke such undue feelings or thoughts.

Kayla quickly snapped out of thoughts when she made a sharp turn in a corner but instantly stepped back and hid with her back against the wall. Her breathing stopped momentarily out of reflex as she stilled, trying to make as little noise as possible. Carefully when she was sure that she wasn't seen, she peeked out of the corner to determined if what she saw was real. Sure enough, about 10 feet down the hall stood a man guarding the front door of a room that no doubt must be holding Miaka. The bandit seemed to be unaware of the fact that his stronghold was slowly being overturned. He carried a rather bored expression on his face, seemingly put off that he was missing the celebration that was supposedly taking place at the lower levels.

Satisfied that the bandit did not have any other companions with him, she stepped out confidently in plain view out her hiding place from the corner to let the man see her. She even gave a tiny wave like she was saying hello to make sure the man see her in the dim lighting. Sure enough the man instantly saw her, surprise was clearly seen through on the man's face before it was overcame by irritation. "Hey! How the hell did you get out here?" exclaimed the man angrily before he came towards her just as she had planned.

She instantly ducked behind the corner again, using her prime advantage of surprise in her favour once more. And when the man came around the corner right into her trap, all it took was a swift kick in the stomach and head before he too went down cold. She had no intention of stalling and was determined to make good use of her limited time.

Quickly searching the man, she found the keys to the lock of Miaka's room and left the unconscious man, making her way towards the now unguarded room. She felt the adrenaline pumping in her blood at the anticipation that now that her mission was going to be over soon. She was going to save Miaka, then meet up Nuriko and they will leave this place and all without any more risk of her identity revealing and they can continue with their quest.

She easily dislodge the lock and pushed open the doors looking in. To her surprise, she found the room empty. The bed was bare and all she could see were some pathetic excuse of some furniture that seemed like they had been rejected for ages as she can clearly see the layers of dust on it. A barred window was located opposite of her giving her the view of the night sky beyond. Carefully she walked into the room not sure what to expect. _If the room is really empty, then why was it locked? s_he wondered.

"Hiiiiyaaaa!" a war cry came from behind her, startling her as she instinctively turned around. It was by pure reflex that her hands shot up and caught the vase coming down upon her head. For a moment, Kayla just stood there with her hands holding the offensive vase bare inches from her head and her eyes travelled down to her attacker. Her amber eyes smouldered with irritation when she realized who her attacker was. "What are you doing? Are you trying to kill me!"

Miaka blinked in fear but then surprise when she realized that it was not a bandit that had entered her room. _Dear Suzaku it's a girl! And I almost killed her! _Miaka thought with panic guilt and instantly took the vase from the girl's hands and placed it on the floor. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were one of them. Did you became a prisoner too? I can't believe it, it's bad enough that they're holding me but now they're taking in more innocent girls! When I get out of here I'm going to kick their butts! I'm going…"

Kayla smirked as the Miko continued to rant about the injustice of her captors. Although she was still a bit irritated at almost being rendered unconscious by the girl's assault, she was more amused of the fact that Miaka had failed to recognize her as a girl.

Miaka paused when she realized that she was ranting again and give the girl a sheepish look. The girl was pretty with her long dark hair with violet highlights. Her amber eyes shone with amusement although she, herself failed to see the humour of their situation. She was small in appearance but judging from the quick reflex she had displayed in deflecting her ambush, Miaka was sure the girl was more than she appeared to be. Plus she couldn't shake off the feeling the girl was _very _familiar to her. It was not just by the girl's looks but the aura or vibe she was getting from the girl was very familiar as well. Familiar and friendly despite the girl's initial irritation with her. "Ummm… I'm sorry if this seems a bit off topic but… have we met?"

Kayla's smirk broke into a smile. "Miaka don't you recognize me? I know I look a bit different but it shouldn't be that big of a difference." _Or maybe I do look that different _she thought to herself, _I mean I almost didn't recognize myself when I looked in the mirror for the first time_.

Miaka's eyes displayed some confusion before widening twice as large as recognition finally settled in. "KAYLA! Dear Suzaku why are you dressed like a girl! Did the other guys forced you? I can't believe it! I almost didn't recognized you! Wait… ARE you a girl?"

Kayla flinched when she heard the last question and instantly felt that familiar guilt when she knew she will have to lie to her friend again. "Ummm… n..no, I'm not a girl… and yes, the other guys kinda forced me into dressing like this. Both Nuriko and I had to dress as girls so that we could sneak in here to rescue you."

"Nuriko is here too?"

"Yeah, he'll be joining us soon and then we'll get out of here." Kayla answered, smiling at the girl's expression of shock, but frowned again when she finally noticed the bruising on the Miko's cheek and rumbled appearance of her hair loosen from one of her signature buns.

Then to her shock, Miaka instantly launched herself upon the other girl with a tight hug and began to sob. _What had happened? _Kayla thought anxiously as she stood there rigidly with the girl sobbing onto her shoulders. Then a thought struck her that caused her blood to run cold as all the clues came together. That pathetic Kaiori bandit that had tried to touch Miaka before in addition the to the rumpled appearance of the Miko's form all seemed to lead to one conclusion. _Dear God! Don't tell me that bastard... _

"I'm so sorry about all this, I didn't mean to wander off, I was just hungry and there was all this food and then I wasn't paying attention. I'm such a baka and I'm just causing you guys all this grief," Miaka cried into her shoulder, effectively interrupting Kayla out of her dark fears and turned her away from giving into the wrong assumption. The older girl signed a breath of relief, knowing the creep had not done anything else to hurt her friend. Nevertheless, Kayla had already begun to regret she hadn't threw in a few more punches and kicks upon the man that had abused her friend when she had the chance earlier.

Remembering that her friend was still upset, Kayla looked down sympathetically at the girl who was still crying into her shoulder, her grip almost smouldering her. However, her affection for the miko overcame her initial awkwardness and she gave her comforting hug back offering the comfort she needed as a friend.

"Shhh…. It's ok Miaka, it's really ok, it really is. But maybe next time it will teach you not to wander off without one of us with you." Kayla teased gently trying to lighten the mood as she patted the girl lightly on the back. "But we're still here for you no matter what."

Miaka nodded, too overcome with emotions at the moment to utter the words of thanks for her friend for being so understanding and forgiving. She knew with all her heart what a clumsy baka she could be and at the most inopportune times. She had been trying her best to improve, to be more mature than she was when she was back in her own world especially with what happened with the fake Chiriko incident and what happened to Tamahome's family. But sometimes now and again, the traits of clumsiness would rear its ugly head reminding her harshly just how inexperience and vulnerable she could be in this world full of danger. It was like times like these that she was glad to have friends like Kayla and the her Seishi to be there and support her. She didn't think she could have made this far otherwise.

* * *

Nuriko clapped his hands in satisfaction when he finished securing the final knots around another group of bandits. After he had made a quick round through the hallways, he had headed back to the main room where most of the men were located and proceeded to the task of tying them up. There was no point in taking chances, plus it can buy them some more time afterwards when they escape.

_Now to find those two _Nuriko thought as he made way up the to higher levels _I think it's the second floor_. Despite the plan had been flawless so far in his own opinion, Nuriko couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his mind. A realization that built on the constant feeling of unease on his normally confident persona. During all those time of checking and searching through the main room and the halls, he had failed to find the leader of the Kaiori bandits. Whether the leader had escaped during the whole incident, fell unconscious in his own private quarters or even sneaking around, he was unsure. The uncertainty of the whereabouts of the leader brings high risk on himself and the two girls to whom he swore to protect.

Even though Nuriko was a Suzaku Seishi, there was something about the leader that put him into unease. And it was with this reason that Nuriko broke into a faster pace to find the his two friends.

* * *

Kayla allowed Miaka to continue to cry on her shoulder until she felt the girl's sobbing started to lessen and finally faded to residual bits of uneven breathing accompanied with the occasional hiccups. "Hey, are you ok now?" she asked the Miko gently when she finally lifted her head from her shoulder.

Miaka nodded sheepishly as she glanced back at Kayla. "Sorry about soaking your clothes," she replied with a slight blush almost indistinguishable with the bruise on one of her cheeks. Kayla glanced down at her shoulder soaked from the girl's tears and shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not like I'm planning to keep this dress afterwards anyway."

"Why not? It looks good on you." Miaka said sadly as if mourning for the pretty blue silk going to waste.

Kayla gave her a funny look before the girl realized the implications of her well-meaning words. "I… I mean… it's a good disguise." Again with the funny look.

"No! What I m… meant that as a good thing! Not that you are… I mean…" the poor miko sputtered as the blush grew deeper before letting out a huff of frustration looking down at the floor as if wishing suddenly the floor would just swallow her whole. "I'm not making any sense am I? I'm just going to shut up now."

To Miaka's surprise, Kayla began to chuckle good-naturedly. "Yeah, everyone just _loved _my new look," she said wryly earning another smile from the girl. "Come on let's go find Nuriko and get out of here."

Miaka nodded and followed Kayla, who was already heading out the door. She gave another small frown, "Wasn't there a guard outside before?" she asked, noticing for the first time that her guard was no longer standing outside the doors.

Kayla turned her head back to Miaka with a mischievous smirk, halfway out the doorway. "Don't worry, I took care of him already and if Nuriko is right, then everyone else is already sl" With her head turned and distracted, she never saw the sword coming down upon her until it was too late.

Miaka cried out in horror as a sword came down upon her friend in a swift arch, a movement that sliced cleanly down Kayla's front, throwing the boy back and down on the ground. Her friend landed on a side and didn't moved from the spot. No scream or even a cry of pain came from Kayla's lips, whether this was because she had drowned out his cry with one of her own or if he had been too shock from the attack to cry out or even because her friend was struck dead, Miaka couldn't be sure. She prayed to Suzaku that it wasn't the last reason. Her panic eyes rose to meet with the attacker's and instantly her heart froze with shock. There standing over her fallen friend with a long malicious curved sword in hand, was a man whom Miaka recognized was the leader of the bandits.

"I dunno what you two did to my men down there, but there are no way I'm gonna to let you two bitches walk out of here alive." The leader growled angrily and he stalked menacingly towards the miko. Despite the lazy, fat appearance portrayed by the leader, the evil glint shining through the man's grey eyes reflected off equally evil light reflected off the wicked curve of his sword was enough to make Miaka step back with caution. She may be clueless at times, but there was definitely something about the man not to be taken lightly with. After all, there have been a reason that he was the leader of this hell hole in the first place.

Miaka cast another worry glance at her friend laying on the ground unmoving. She prayed with all her heart that he was all right. But there was no way she could be certain of this when this man was standing between them preventing her from running immediately to check on her friend's condition. Secretly, she was afraid in what she would find out. Judging in how the leader have surprised Kayla and practically sliced straight down the boy's chest in sickening accuracy with his blade, Miaka was afraid her friend would not be so lucky this time as he had in the past in avoiding fatal injuries. _It's my fault, it's all my fault… _she thought as her fears brought along the grief that threatened to overthrow her once again.

"Don't worry, you'll be joining her soon enough… that is… after I have a little fun with you first." His voice brought her out of her self-blaming and Miaka felt utter rage beginning to spread over her like liquid fire, effectively numbing her grief if only momentarily. "You…" she hissed, her voice so laced with contempt and venom that even she had barely recognized as her own. "How dare you hurt him, I won't forgive you for this!"

The man just laughed at the girl's threat. "And you're going to stop me? Don't make me laugh," he sneered and immediately made the first move and lunged towards the girl.

Miaka, whom had spent countless of times dodging her enemies ever since she had travelled to this world, was able to dodge almost effortlessly from the sword from slicing her arm off. Her duck became an instant roll, a move taught to her by Tamahome himself in means of escaping her enemies effectively if there was ever need for it. It was by luck that her roll had landed her beside the vase that she had initially used to attack Kayla with and she instantly took the pottery and flung it at her attacker. Her aim had been made towards his head, but the duck and roll had left her a bit disoriented and her initial aim was off. However, Suzaku had been on her side and the vase had hit the man's sword hand.

The leader cried out in surprise and pain as the vase shattered on his wrist and the sword knocked from his hand some distance away. He glared at his injury, some of the pieces from the fragile vase was embedded in his flesh and judging from how much it hurt to move his wrist, he knew it was either sprained or broken. "Bitch…" he growled angrily as he turned his glare towards the perpetrator, finding the girl was already making her way towards his fallen sword. Using anger as his means of analgesic to the pain on his wrist, he ran surprisingly swift for a man of his built and kicked the sword from the girl's hand and knocked her to the floor. His uninjured hand came around the girl's neck and slowly began squeezing the pathetic life out of her. Forget his initial plans of having his way with her before he killed her, no one makes a mockery out of him without paying for the consequences. Oh this girl will pay!

Miaka clawed at the man's hand and he continued to choke the life out of her. She instinctively tried to draw air into her screaming lungs, but it was like trying to breath underwater. Despite the use of only one hand, the man was strong compared to her weaken attempts to fight. She thrashed with her feet but the man straggled her chest pinning her effectively to the ground and further crushing her lungs from taking in any more air. Tears sprang to her eyes, whether it was due to the lack of oxygen or from the fear slowly returning to her she didn't know. All that she knew that she was dying and the evidence was becoming clear as the edge of her vision started to blacken. _I can't die like this! _she thought desperately, _I still have too much to do! My friends… Tamahome… Yui… Suzkau please… _

"Get your filthy hand off her now!" a threatening voice came from above and Miaka thought through her disorientation that for a moment, the voice had belonged to the source of her half-finished prayer. The hand around her neck instantly loosen even though the weight remain on her chest . Nevertheless, without the crushing pressure, she was able to take in the much needed air for her deprived lungs enough that she was able to orientate herself once more. Once her vision was cleared from it's dark vision, she looked up to her saviour and her heart cried for joy at the sight.

Kayla stood there with the leader's sword in his hand held threatening around it's owner's neck. Although there was a bit of blood trickling down the boy's temple, his golden eyes shone with clarity and fury, a fury that was startlingly similar to a certain fiery Seishi she knew. Although the resemblance was there, the differences were also just as clear. Where Tasuki's golden gaze often shone layers of great passion and pride in the mist of protective fury and easily intimidating any poor soul on the receiving end, Kayla's fury was different. Although no less intimidating, the protective fury from the boy's eyes seemed more controlled and almost haunting. It was like staring into the eyes of a wounded angry cat, stubborn enough to not back away from the fight yet cautious enough to be ever watchful of its opponent for any unexpected attack. Miaka was once again grateful to have someone like Kayla to be fighting by her side.

Kayla fought off the last of her blurred vision as she held the tip of the sword on the man's neck as steadily as she could, knowing that any clumsiness displayed by her part would be enough for the man to determine that she was actually unskilled in the arts of wielding any sword. Kouji had never had the chance to train her in perfecting the skill back when she was staying at the Leikaku stronghold. She had been taken by surprise by the man's attack and was sure that his strike would have killed her, only it didn't. All that she knew was that she had been knocked to the floor and her head hitting the edge of some furniture during the process and effectively knocking her out temporarily for a few seconds. Although when she had came back to reality, those precious few seconds had been enough to send her friend into a edge between life and the hands of death from the bastard who had attacked her.

Cursing her own carelessly from being caught off guard in the first place, she had fought to get rid of her disorientation from her injury before leaping to her feet and grabbed the first thing that had caught her eyes as means of a weapon. She was glad that she wasn't too late to save her friend as the man instantly complied to her commands and finally released Miaka allowing her to breathe. "Are you ok Miaka?" Kayla asked while keeping her eyes on the man, not trusting him to be obedient enough to not try anything suspicious. She had been surprised enough the first time around, a mistake she was not willing to repeat.

"Y… yeah," gasped Miaka mentally wincing at the hoarseness of her voice but unable to manage anything else otherwise as the leader's weight still laid upon her.

Kayla nodded, before holding the sword even closer against the man's neck without cutting his jugular vein. "Get your ass off her now and don't try anything funny unless you want to see yourself bleeding to death anytime soon," she warned him.

Although she stood behind the leader and therefore unable to see the man's expression, she could feel the man sneered. "You wouldn't dare. Do you have any idea who you are messing with little girl?" he mocked, obviously doubting her ability even though he was currently at her mercy.

Kayla's eyes narrowed and purposely shifted the sword slightly. The sword cut into the man's neck just grazing the surface, but away from the vein. However the cut itself was enough to sting like hell causing the man to hiss in shock and pain. "Care to test that theory? I may know who you are and I don't give a rat's ass. However, I will ask you _nicely _one more time, Get… Off… Her… _NOW_!" the steady coldness in her voice was enough to convince the man that she was deadly serious and slowly rose himself from Miaka's form. Once he was off her, Miaka scrambled to her feet, taking in a few more deep breaths before making her way to stand beside Kayla.

Then to both Miaka and the leader's surprise, Kayla kicked the back of the man's knees causing him to fall back down on his knees. "Bitch…" the man growled, but otherwise didn't try to get up again. Miaka looked back and forth from her friend and the back of the leader's head wondering what they were going to do with him now. It was obvious they can't just leave him kneeling like that, they had to get out of here and they are running out of time.

Miaka was brought out of her thoughts when the leader suddenly laughed. "So what are you two girls going to do? Kill me now?" he asked mockingly, once more decided to challenge their abilities. Although Kayla was putting up a good front of indifference, the Miko could see the boy flinched slightly at the man's words.

"You know you don't have much of a choice, you either kill me now or you can knock me out and tie me up. But remember this, when I wake up, I will find you two. Oh I can guarantee you I'll find you both no matter how long it will take, and when I do… " he left the sentence hanging, the silence was enough to send shivers down their back. Whether this man was crazy or just trying to bait her, Kayla wasn't sure but she knew one thing: she was stuck.

This man was right. Could she just leave this bastard alive and risk him trying to hunt them down later on. She didn't doubt her friend's abilities, but it would be no doubt going to be a hassle with both the Seiyruu Seishi and the Kaiori bandits on their tail on their journey.

"What makes you think I can't kill you right here right now?" Kayla said coldly, even though she felt the uncertainty in her words.

The leader only laughed at her words. "Are you foolish enough that once you kill me, then all this will stop. After me, there will be another leader, and another after one after him. Nothing will stop the Kaiori bandits."

Kayla's grip on the sword tighten at the man's words, but otherwise remained silent trying to control her fury and uncertainty.

Unfortunately her silence was enough of an encouragement for the leader to continue with his merciless tirade, "No one ever escapes from me without paying me with their lives, you two won't escape me and neither will the other girls after you!"

Kayla's eyes widen slightly with fear and her grip on the sword tighten so much that her knuckles turned white. She was no longer seeing the leader of the Kaiori bandits kneeling in front of her but her uncle there instead. He was mocking her, threatening her, telling her she will never escape him no matter where she goes no matter how hard she tries. He was tempting her to kill him. Only if she killed him would she finally be free.

Kayla felt herself became physically sick with the deceivingly simple solution. Kill the man? Even someone like her uncle? She had never killed anyone before, always tried to avoid it if possible. Yes, she had hurt other people before. Yes, she had even beaten some of them unconscious before. Of course, she was not perfect and knew there was always the possibility in the future that she could kill someone in self-defence. But to kill someone in cold blood even if it were for the sake of her friends, for future victim's sake. Could she live with herself after that.

Miaka looked at her friend worriedly, she saw the confusion and fear in Kayla's eyes. She saw how his complexion grew pale and almost sickly-like. She could almost understand the uncertainty he was feeling. Can they kill this terrible man or not despite the fact of how much he deserved it? Miaka wasn't sure if she could make the decision, if the decision had been rested solely on hers to make. Not knowing what else to do, she placed a hand supportively on Kayla's shoulder much similar to before when he had did the same thing for her. Her touch seemed to have brought her friend back from his haunting thoughts and Kayla glanced briefly at her before the confusion was replaced with resolve in his amber eyes.

Kayla's grip on the sword loosen once more as she came to a decision. She may regret it later because of her own selfishness but at least for now, she would be able to live with herself. "It's not that I can't kill you," she finally spoke, surprised at how steady her voice was even though she was still shaking inside. "It's just that I won't." With that said, she swiftly took the blade away from the man's throat and hit him on the head with the hilt of the sword _hard_.

The leader of the Kaiori bandits groaned before falling to his side unconscious. Kayla stared at the man briefly before closing her eyes to try to control the raging turmoil of emotions within her. When she opened her eyes, she found Miaka looking at her worriedly, "Kayla…" she started uncertainly, but Kayla was not ready to talk yet. "We better get going before he wakes up, it may be for awhile since I did hit him pretty hard, but we can never be sure, come on." she said interrupting her before making her way once more towards the doorway. This time, checking before she stepped out into the empty hallway.

Miaka frown deepen as she watch the back of Kayla before following the boy out the room as well. Kayla walked swiftly occasionally checking behind him to check if she was still behind him but nevertheless remained adamant on his swift retreat. Though it seemed to Miaka that Kayla was not only in a hurry in order to get out of this place, but more to the fact he was trying to separate himself from the room they had came out from as much as possible. How she knew this she was not sure, but it could have been because she had seen that haunted look in Kayla's eyes when that terrible man had been mocking them mercilessly. There was something so infinitely sad about those eyes, something she had never noticed before in her friend's eyes making her wonder if there were things about the boy that she didn't knew about.

_I have to get out of here… I… I don't think I can stand it. He's going to come after me! He's going to come after me just like how my uncle is after me… I could have prevented that b… but I can't do it… not if it comes to that… _Kayla thought despairingly. She didn't want to kill anyone in cold blood but knew that when that man wakes he would only continue on with his evil deeds and kidnap more innocent people. She would be the indirect murderer of all those innocent lives just because she didn't have enough courage to stop that man when she had the chance to. Is the cost of innocent lives ruined the price of her cowardice? _Oh gods, is this what it has come to?… _

She stopped walking, her initial vigour disappeared and her uncertainty and confusion finally catching up to her. Not trusting herself to stand, she slumped towards a wall of some hallway she didn't care to recognize, for support. It was at that moment, she realized that she was still holding the sword, her almost-made-to-be murder weapon. She dropped the weapon like she was burned, feeling her hands shaking slightly.

"Kayla, are you alright?"

Kayla raised her head from hands to once again finding her friend looking at her worriedly. She slowly shook her head finally admitting that she was not alright. Given her state of appearance Miaka would not believe her anyway if she were to lie. There was no point in lying, when the obvious was stating otherwise.

"I'm not ok Miaka, for a moment there I wanted to kill that man," Kayla said quietly, her head hung low in shame. "But now that I didn't, that bastard is going to be on our tail until he has found us and not only that, more innocent people are going to be tortured by this man and his followers just because I didn't have the guts to kill him. He's going to take in more slaves to sell just like he was going to do to you and me. I didn't… couldn't stopped him because I was a coward. I c… couldn't kill him just like that."

Miaka looked sadly at Kayla, her heart crying for her friend as confusion and self-blame began to consume him. "Kayla, please look at me," she said softly effectively bringing the boy's eyes towards her. She smiled, a smile that made Kayla forgot for a moment that she was looking at a girl who was a year younger than her, but instead a miko that was beyond her years in wisdom.

"Kayla, what you did back there took courage. You stepped away instead of killing someone in cold blood. If you had killed him then you would have been no better than that man. Yes, he may come after us later on but I have confidence in myself and my friends that we would be able to handle him then," Miaka stopped, checking to see if Kayla was understanding what she was trying to tell him, when she knew that he was still listening she continued. "I would have done the same thing you had in the end even though at first I was so angry with that terrible man. I was so sure that he had killed you back there," when she had said that, Kayla's eyes had widen in surprise. "When he had struck you with that sword, you fell and you didn't moved at all. I had been so sure that you were dead or at least fatally injured. I was so angry and scared, but angry more because he had killed my friend. I believed at that moment that I was ready to kill him myself if I had the chance." She stopped again, trying to rid herself of the terrible image conjured from her own mind of Kayla's form lying still, looking like he had stopped breathing and his injured heart had stopped beating.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Kayla was quietly amazed at the seriousness of her friend's words, never noticing before just how mature her friend had became when most of the time, the miko was always full of smiles and clumsy moments. Although she could still feel the consequences of her actions weighing down on her, the girl's words had lifted them considerably and she found herself smiling back slightly back at the younger girl. "Thank you Miaka," Kayla said sincerely, "I think… that whatever may happen after all this, I will be able to deal with it." She knew that she will not be able to change the decision she had made (not that she would change it probably) but she will deal with whatever it was to come her way. The burden was still there, but she will be able to carry it just a little bit longer. To her surprise, Miaka shook her head.

"Whatever may happen," she said adamantly, "_We _will deal with it together."

Kayla's smile widen before laughing softly and nodded.

"One thing still bothers me though," Miaka said suddenly, her frown returning as a thought came to her.

Kayla stopped laughing and looked at the her curiously. "What's that?"

"I could have sworn that the sword had hit you, I saw it _sliced_ through you," Miaka said with distress, ignoring the flinch from Kayla at her crass description. "I mean, how was it possible that…" her sentence trailed off as her eyes landed on her friend, noticing something for the first time about the boy's appearance. Miaka's eyes never left his form, growing larger with each passing moment and her jaw slowly lowering at the same time in some form of shock.

Kayla would have found the whole scene funny had it not been for the fact that the miko's look was making her extremely nervous. "Miaka, what are you looking…" she said looking down at what her friend had been staring at before her voice, too trailed off in shock. "Oh… damn…" she muttered quietly as a sense of panic slowly overcame her as she finally understood the reason in why she had came out of that attack unharmed.

That sword's aim had been true with frightening accuracy, an aim that by all right should have killed her if not injured her fatally. However, unknowingly she had a 'shield' made of cloth, or specifically the thick layer of cloth that she had used to bind her chest and had unknowingly saved her life from the strike leaving her with only a slight cut that already began to scab over on her chest underneath the now severed bindings. Unfortunately, now that all the excitement has passed and everyone was finally paying attention to their appearances, Kayla can now see that although the strike had been kind to her person, it had _not _been kind to her clothes. The strike from the sword had sliced to top half of her shirt open and straight through her bindings like it was nothing and her earlier running had done nothing if not made the condition of her top only worse. Bits of her binding was still intact, thankfully keeping her modesty intact with it. However, it was still not enough the hide the obvious cleavage of her breast from showing for everyone to see, or specifically, for a certain miko to see.

_Oh crap…

* * *

_

Chiriko frowned in confusion (an expression that was uncommon on his usually intuitive features), as he looked at the scene standing before him trying to solve the puzzle. "So let me see if I have this right, there hadn't been an ambush correct?"

A confirmed yes was his answer.

"Nor were there been any other civilians whom may have caused this incident correct?"

Another yes.

"Nor were there any road blockage that could have caused any accidents correct?"

A hesitant yes.

"Then how in Suzaku, did you two get injured like that?" Chiriko asked his two fellow Seishi worriedly. Tamahome and Tasuki looked at each other before turning away stubbornly, both refusing to answer. The blue-haired seishi was sporting a rather sore black-eye while fiery-haired one was not fairing any better, sporting a split lip and a slightly swollen left cheek. Both of the men's clothes were a bit rumpled in appearances and covered with snow that were beginning to melt into a puddle at their feet.

Chiriko sighed before looking up at Mitsukake for help. The eldest seishi gave them a stern glance (a foreign look on the normally calm man), his observant gaze already giving him all the answers he needed judging from the shared glares and unspoken words between the two men standing before him. "I don't know the reason behind this fight between the two of you and it is not our business to pry." Mitsukake said calmly, though his tone was firm and reprimanding. "However, this is neither the place or time for disagreement and we need to work as team especially when three of our friends are counting on us to provide aide if needed. I suggest that whatever differences you two may have to just put it aside for the time being."

Chiriko looked slightly wide-eyed at Mitsukake, mostly in awe because he had so rarely hear the eldest Seishi spoke so many words at once. Indeed there are many great mysteries in life to solve and the man's decision of when to give long speeches was definitely one of them.

Tamahome and Tasuki shared Chirko's look of awe before turning towards each other, mirroring the other's expression of shame. Nevertheless, both continued to say nothing but a silent agreement was exchanged. An agreement to never mention the situation again. Then both turned to walk to opposite sides of the room left to their own task although there was not much anyone can do in the abandon structure the Suzaku Seishi had chosen as their temporary stronghold.

Nevertheless, Tasuki had found some means of activity to keep him occupied which included walking back and forth in a corner in a restless and agitated fashion. His restless pacing reminded everyone of a trapped wolf pacingin a cage, any wrong move and he will snap at you, friend or foe. After he had given the others in brief (and revised) descriptions of what had happened in the 'exchange' and assured everyone that the plan was going accordingly without suspicion, there was not much else to do except to wait. He mentally cursed. He really hated waiting.

Tamahome, on the other hand, had found an old chair sturdy enough for him to sit on as he waited anxiously by the window constantly on the lookout for any signs of Miaka or his friends. Anyone observing the man could tell how tense he was, with his back stiff as a board and his fingers drumming on the windowsill according to a beat that only he could hear.

Two very different men, in opposite sides of a room trying to cope with their restlessness in two very different fashion. The scene would have been very amusing for the two other occupants in the room to watch had they too not been experiencing the same sort of anxiety the two men were suffering from.

Chiriko turned away from watching Tasuki, (the pacing of the man was causing him to be slightly dizzy) and towards the older man standing beside him. "Mitsukake, where is Chichiri? He's been gone for awhile now?"

The eldest Suzaku Seishi shook his head. "I'm not sure Chiriko, he only mentioned that there was something that he had to do immediately before he meet up with us here," Mitsukake answered.

Chiriko eyes widen in surprise. "He didn't mentioned what or where he was going?" It wasn't like Chichiri to go off into a mission or task without informing others what he was going to do. How strange.

Mitsukake shook his head, his thoughts reflecting the youngest Seishi's surprise. He wished he had a better answer for his friend, but the mysterious monk had only disappeared out into the snow with a vague explanation and a promise to be back shortly. It wasn't that he didn't trust Chichiri, but he only wished that the man didn't just leave him hanging like this with only a vague explanation to answer to the rest of the Suzaku Seishi. Their situation was already uncertain as it was with their Miko in danger, their two friends in enemy territory, another friend doing Suzaku knows what and two more (hot-headed and restless) individuals in opposite sides of the room with tension so thick and tangible between them that it could have been sliced through with Hotohori's sword.

To be fair, Mitsukake could understand the frustration of the two hot-headed men. It was easy to see the reason behind Tamahome's agitation. To be unable to do much else other than to wait from the sidelines while the girl he loves was in danger could drive any man insane and Mitsukake understood the pain of feeling so helpless when one had failed to protect the one he loved all too well.

Tasuki, on the other hand, was not so easy to figure out despite the man's tendency of being upfront most of the time. Mitsukake knew that there was more to the man other than his short temper and brazen attitude. The fiery Seishi's sense of honour and loyalty were strong and his protective nature didn't come up any shorter than any one of them if not more especially concerning his friends. However, this tension radiating off now from Tasuki was different. There was something bothering the man that he was not sharing with the rest of them and Mitsukake suspected that it had been the source of the fight that had occurred between him and Tamahome.

Surprisingly, this tension and frustration didn't seem that much different from the feelings that were radiating off of Tamahome. However, while Tamahome was driving himself up the wall because of his feelings for Miaka, what or specifically _who_ can Tasuki be so concerned for? Or is his sense of friendship that much stronger and potent? If Mitsukake wasn't mistaken, he would say that Tasuki was acting like he was worrying over someone he cares deeply for. But who? Miaka seemed like a sensible choice though Mitsukake could tell through observation in the past that the two of them acted more like fighting siblings most of the time. Very much like how an older brother would tease his sister mercilessly but affectionately most of the time. This left with only two other choices: Nuriko and Kayla.

The relationship between Tasuki and Nuriko could be described the same way as his relationship with Miaka bounded from the friendship between two Seishi. Though it was easy to say that the violet-haired Seishi could drive the other man crazy like no other without breaking much of a sweat.

Then there was Tasuki and Kayla. Not only had Tasuki known Kayla the longest out of all of them but their relationship could be describe in so many different levels. They could fight each other like no two people, driving each other crazy. They act like best friends, always watching out for each other and laughing together like no tomorrow. They could act like siblings, tolerating yet with great affection for each other. There would be times when they acted like they have just met each other, awkward and uncertain (though those moments were getting more rare as time passed on). And even like as Tamahome had once pointed out; _like a married couple.' _In conclusion, there was just something _different _(for a lack of a better word) in the way Tasuki treated Kayla from the rest of their tight group. It was different on so many levels and plain to anyone who could see, but to just pinpoint what it was exactly that makes it different was difficult. Could the main reason for Tasuki's agitation be Kayla? Even Mitsukake, despite his nature, was a bit curious himself.

A loud bang and a long string of curses interrupted Mitsukake's musing. Automatically the man turned towards Tasuki, while at the same time covering Chiriko's ears to protect it from the storm of swearing coming from the angry man's mouth. Apparently, amidst all his pacing, the fiery Seishi had punched the wall in frustration and predictably came out of it with a bruised hand and a dent in the wall.

Yes... Mitsukake was curious, irritated but curious all the same.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

It was a year since our last update and we apologize profusely all you wonderful readers out there who had been waiting for it. So many things had happened since in this passing year and we know that you guys were wondering if we had given up on this story or not or if we had dropped dead or even disappeared from the face of this Earth! We promise to try not to update so late from now on, and hopefully we'll get chapter 20 up soon.

This chapter had taken on a longer plot than we initially planned, but found that it was necessary especially when it came to character development. We hoped that a bit of Mitsukake's perspective was portrayed accurately enough. He is a wonderful character, but unfortunately didn't get enough of the attention he deserved in many stories that we found. So we hope that all you readers would enjoy it. Were some of you guys surprised in what has happened? Or was it predictable? Tell us what you think?

**P.S. **

We had gotten a few reviews that had expressed some questions concerning the origin of Kayla's name. Yes, its true that Kayla is an _European _name even though her character originated in ancient _China_. We believe there should be some explanation for all you readers who felt bother by this fact (and rightly so). At first when we were thinking of a name for our OC, we were trying to choose between names like Kay-Li, Kye-Li or something like that and in the end, chose 'Kayla' because it just sounded RIGHT for some reason not realizing initially that it was actually it was of European descent. It was really an act of negligence in the end. Sorry about that.

However by the time it had occurred to us of this error, a few chapters had already been posted up and we really couldn't picture our character going by any other name. We just like the simplicity yet strong characteristics of the name 'Kayla' and seems to fit so well with our OC that we decided that it was better to just let the name stick instead of changing it. We're sure that some of you fanfic writers out there understand how we feel. Kayla just wouldn't be Kayla by any other name. Therefore, we hope that you readers will forgive us for this little mistake and still enjoy our story because despite this overlook, we really do put a lot of effort into writing it.

However for future references, we will put more attention in researching a name before naming our characters.

Thank you for all your patience,

Love Twin Girls


	20. Realizations

**Disclaimers: Poor... No Money... Don't own Fushigi Yuugi... But we have Kayla... Yeah us!**

* * *

**Chapter**** 20: ****Realizations**

* * *

If there was ever a moment in Miaka's life in which she felt an odd sense of déjà vu, it would be this instant as she stared speechlessly at her friend. A friend whom up until now was thought to be of the _male_ orient. 

_Doesn't __**anyone **__dress__ according__ to __their __own __gender__ in__ this __world_ was the first thought that came to Miaka's mind. Actually that was not true. The first thing that went through Miaka's mind before that was: _He__ got __boobs!_

You would think that after the past incidences that Miaka experienced with Nuriko and Hotohori, it would teach her a thing or two that things are not always what they seemed. Yet here she was, once again, standing there gaping at the 'boy turned girl'. And as much as the miko felt justified that she had the right to remain standing there pondering about the realities and truth of the universe, a small part of her mind remained stubbornly steadfast. A small part that also demanded that the girl took action and to say _something_ instead of continuing to stand there like an idiot.

"K… Kayla…"

Recipient of the name responded to her words but said nothing, as if waiting for the miko to make the first move.

"You have…" Miaka's eyes darted quickly downwards before rising up back to her friend's face. "You have… _cleavage_."

Okay, so said demanding-small-part of her mind was not really the part that stimulates intelligent responses either. _Probably__ because__** that **__specific__ part__ of__ my __brain__ is __still __trying__ to __get __over __the __shock __over __here_ the girl thought ruefully.

Apparently her friend was thinking along the same thing judging the fact that Kayla was not laughing outright at her stupidity. If anything, her action of stating the obvious was enough to bring this surreal (and not to mention, _very _untimely) situation to a grounding halt.

Despite her obvious distress over being discovered of her long-guarded secret, Kayla decided that this was neither the time nor the place for discussions. Whether this was just her own excuse to stall the inevitable explanation she would be owing the miko or not did not matter. They would and _could __not _stay at this risky place where more unexpected things was bound to happen the longer they stayed there. With her mind made up and one hand clutching the open folds of her shirt together, Kayla stepped towards her friend in a determined stride.

"I know I owe you an explanation for this Miaka," Kayla said as she placed her other hand on the other girl's arm to gain her attention but also as a silent gesture to bridge the growing gap between them. "And I will explain all this but not now. Right now we need to find Nuriko and get the hell out of here."

Miaka stared at the other boy… girl's face and the hand clutching her arm. The urgency in Kayla's voice was clear enough to bring the miko out of her own shock, but it was also the silent pleading and slight desperation in Kayla's eyes that prevented her from arguing back.

"No one else knows about you do they?" Despite her agreement of waiting for an explanation, Miaka felt compelled to at least ask a few questions to satisfy her burning curiosity. At least her brain had finally reconnected with her mouth again so that she was able to ask some more sensible questions.

Kayla shook her head sadly. "Only you and one other who knows my secret right now."

Miaka blinked. "Who is it? Tasuki?" It would only be logical given that Tasuki was the one who knew Kayla the longest.

"What? No! And you can't tell him about me being a girl. Or anyone else for that matter."

"What? But…"

"_Please_ Miaka, I'm asking you as a friend, please keep this secret for me… at least for now." Kayla pleaded, hoping her friend would understand her need for secrecy.

"B… But why? Why all this secrecy Kayla?" Miaka was confused. Why would Kayla hide herself like this? Didn't she knew that she would have accepted her either way? Was she hiding something else from her as well?

Kayla suppressed a groan. They were going in circles with the girl's questions. Questions that needed long explanations. Long explanations that needed time. Time that they don't have. She blatantly wondered if they were doomed to remain in this deathtrap of a stronghold forever. "I will explain everything when we get back, but right now…"

"Finally, I found you two!"

The girls started when they turned to find the third party member of their group strolling towards them with an expression of mixed exasperation and relief. However, the expression on Nuriko's face faded and he paused mid-stride when he assessed the whole scene surrounding the two girls before pinpointing to a specific detail that he personally felt needed to be addressed immediately.

"What happened to your shirt?" Nuriko asked, eyeing the torn shirt clutched between Kayla's fingers with a critical eye.

If Kayla's mind weren't whirling from the sensation like the world was suddenly moving much too fast and leaving her behind at the same time, she would have had time to have been embarrassed at the fact that he had been staring rather intently at her chest (granted, in a non-perverted way but nevertheless…).

"Well umm… you see…" Kayla paused, unsure of how she was going to explain everything to Nuriko given the time budget that they were in. However, before she was able to sum up a few words to explain to the Seishi that her secret had been unexpectedly revealed to his miko, a blur sped past her. A blur that Kayla recognized belatedly as Miaka, who sped by her and practically tackled Nuriko and spun the surprised man around to face the other way.

Nuriko was caught off guard to say the least. One moment he had been studying Kayla and wondering why or how her shirt was opened (if he found it to be any other reason than it being _purely_ accidental then Suzaku help him…), the next moment he was staring into a familiar pair of determined hazel eyes of his miko.

"It's not what you think Nuriko," Miaka spoke seemingly out of the blue, her tone unusually serious.

"It's not?" Nuriko asked dazedly, wondering what in the world she was talking about.

"Whatever you think you thought you saw. It isn't . So you can forget it. Don't even think about it because it isn't… _isn't_ what you _think _you saw."

"What?" Nuriko could only utter in confusion, a bit overwhelmed by Miaka's sudden strange behavior. He tried to turn back around to look at Kayla and ask for her help but the miko's hands remained steadfastly on his shoulders preventing him from turning.

"Kayla is fine and whatever you thought you saw on _him_was only a figment of your overactive imagination. So don't worry _he_ is fine!"

By the Gods, the miko has gone mad! Maybe being captured by the Kaiori bandits had traumatized the poor girl. Nuriko could only pray that the damage was not going to be permanent. Suzaku knows that Tamahome was already worried enough as it is without knowing that his love as gone crazy as well. He grimaced at the thought. Tamahome was going to kill him… after he joined Tasuki in burning down the Kaiori bandit stronghold. He pried away the miko's hands from his shoulders and held them securely in his hands.

"What in the world is she talking about? Did she got hit in the head or something?" Nuriko asked worriedly turning to the other girl who had not said a word since he had been '_attacked__'_ by the hysterical Miaka.

Unfortunately, Kayla could only watched speechlessly at the strange scene before her as Miaka tried unsuccessfully to get her hands out of the strong Seishi's grip and tried to get him to turn his head the other way. Nuriko, on the other hand, just looked more worried by the minute seemingly convinced that the Suzaku no miko had taken one too many blows to the head.

However, it wasn't long before Kayla realized what Miaka was trying to do. The miko had been trying to prevent Nuriko from discovering her secret, not knowing that the Seishi had already known beforehand. Despite the fact that the girl's efforts was fated to be done in vain, Kayla was touched. While Miaka's method may not have been the most inconspicuous, it was obvious the miko was willing and putting an effort in helping her keep her secret. The thought itself gave Kayla a small sense of peace of mind.

_But__ still…_

Kayla winced when Miaka tried once again to gain the attention of her Seishi by stomping on the poor man's foot. While Kayla appreciated Miaka's… efforts, it didn't seemed that the girl's '_methods'_ was going to maintain her secret for long. That thought made her finally realized that sooner or later, her secret was coming out whether she wanted it to or not.

And that thought filled her with dread.

* * *

"Do you think someone should try to calm them down?" Chiriko whispered worriedly turning to the oldest member and the monk in their group. 

"I don't think that would be wise," answered Mitsukake.

"Why not? They might do something rash and get themselves in danger."

"I think what Mitsukake was saying Chiriko, is that he's more concerned about our own safety if we try to stick our necks out and try to intervene." Chichiri explained quietly, warily eyeing the two other men standing opposite of each other in the room. The monk had came back shortly after his task was done and was literally thrown off guard by the tense aura emanating in the once abandoned room. Yes, he knew that his friends including himself, were worried, but the aura that he was feeling was a bit - for lack of a better word - disturbing.

Tasuki clenched and unclenched his fists, his whole body tensed as he continued to pace rigidly in his own private corner. Despite the fact that he seemed too distracted to notice anything else, he was very well aware that his restless nature was stepping on his comrades' agitation. He just didn't really cared at the moment how much he was disturbing the others since he was too occupied with his own frustration to pay it much attention or thought.

How long had it been already? An hour? Two hours? Damn it! It felt like an eternity to him. It was times like these that the ill-tempered Seishi wished more than anything that he could go burn something with his Tessan, preferebly some Seiryuu lackey's butt. Or better yet, go get drunk on saké. To be honest, if he wasn't on that damn promise, he probably would have done so already to calm his restless state and agitation. Unfortunately, thanks to a _certain _boy, that was no longer an option for him.

And load and behold, just thinking about that stupid promise brought him back full circle to the core of his source of frustration. _Kayla_. Even though he was still worried for his miko and his other comrade, it was the younger boy that remained as a constant weight sitting in his mind… whether he wanted it to or not. Frankly, ever since he had walked out of that sorry-excuse of a stronghold, the whole situation had been driving him crazy with worry and making him rash… well _more_rash than usual.

Well enough was enough.

"That's it! I can't fucking stand this anymore! I'm going in there to get them!" _To__ find__ him…_

The reaction in the room was instantaneous.

"We can't be rash Tasuki, we…" Chichiri never had a chance to finish as Tasuki instantly turned to him, eyes blazing with frustration.

"I never said _'we'_ are going in there. _I'm _going in there myself even if I have to burn the whole place down!"

"But it's too dangerous to go in there yourself." Chiriko protested, his eyes wide, shocked in seeing the usual wise-cracking Seishi so enraged.

Realizing that he was scaring the youngest Seishi, Tasuki fought to reign in his anger. When he spoke again, his voice was relatively calmer though the tension was still there. "This _whole_ idea was _dangerous _in the first place. Sending just two members of the group into a whole stronghold full of ruthless bandits is _dangerous _but we let them go in there anyway."

"You forget that they are two capable individuals who can take care of themselves with or without powers and they're undercover," Chichiri said reasonably.

Tasuki was unconvinced. "But against a whole bunch of Kaiori bandits? We don't even know what plan Kayla and Nuriko has against all those damn bastards!"

"Sedative."

Surprised, everyone turned to the quiet Seishi who had spoken.

"What was that Mitsukake?" Chiriko asked.

"Sedative," Mitsukake answered calmly, though it would be foolish to think he was unaffected by the tension radiating in the room. "Nuriko had asked me for some just before they've left. He was planning to drug the whole group in order to give themselves a chance to escaped with Miaka without complications."

"Without _complications_? We can't guarantee that there would be no fuckin' _complications_! Anything can happen in there!" Tasuki exclaimed irritatingly.

"They would have signaled us with the flare if anything were to happen," Chiriko reasoned.

"Unless they're in a position where they couldn't signal us."

Everyone turned to the remaining Seishi who had remained silent all this time until now.

Tamahome looked at each of them, his blue-green eyes hard. "Tasuki's right. They could be in danger now and I for one, am going in there with him."

Despite the fact that the man was supporting his plan to intervene. Tasuki was not looking forward with the idea of having company. As leader of the Leikaku bandits, he felt as if he had a personal score to settle with their long-time rival. Whether this was a petty reason or not, he didn't really cared. "No way! I don't need your hel…"

"_That_ was not a request!" Tamhome rounded up to the other man effectively silencing him mid-rant. "I've waited by that window for two damn hours! _Two! _For the girl I love and our friends to show up here safe and sound. Frankly I can't sit here and wait anymore, it's driving me crazy! I don't know what your problem is Tasuki but if you think you can stop me from going in there and tearing that hellbound place apart, you can damn well answer to my fist!"

Silence fell upon the group as Mitsukake, Chichiri and Chiriko unconsciously held their breaths at the sight of the two Seishi faced off in a battle of wills. They stood so close together that they were practically breathing into each other's faces. Both men stood there for a long time, neither seemed willing to relent until finally (and surprisingly) the fiery Seishi backed away slowly.

"You come with me, you better be sure that you keep up with me," Tasuki warned, a smirk growing on his face though it contained very little humor.

Unfazed, Tamahome matched his comrade's expression. "Don't worry about me. Make sure you don't get in my way."

Another agreement was exchanged then. However while their first agreement concerning their private brawl had been made in a vow of silence, this one was made based on mutual understanding stemmed by the determination to make a stand to save the ones they cared for.

However, while these two men were in the midst of their new profound alliance, the other Suzaku members were worried. Despite that they have faith in the abilities of both Tasuki and Tamahome in a fight, to have them storming recklessly into a bandit stronghold with only a minimal idea of the current status of their friends was probably not the most foolproof of plans. Probably bordering on insane and foolhardy if they were honest.

_But__ these__ two__ are __too__ stubborn__ to __accept__ that __now_ Chichiri though resignedly as his thoughts were mirrored on both of Mitsukake and Chiriko's expressions. They have no choice. They would have to follow Tasuki and Tamahome's plan to save their friends if only to prevent any catastrophic events as a result of their relentless pursuing. They would need to come up with a quick plan though despite Tasuki and Tamahome's impatience. They were a team and if they were going to make this work, they would need to work together.

Chichiri silently sent a prayer up to Suzaku for luck, because nothing short of a miracle was going to dissuade these two stubborn, stubborn men from their goals especially when they decided to team up together like this.

Maybe Suzaku had taken pity on the young monk then or it was purely coincidental because it was at that moment the door to their little hideout flew open and Miaka, Nuriko and lastly Kayla strode in like a group of shivering misfits. Everybody stared at them in disbeliefs, eyes wide and jaws hanging, too shock to speak or even react.

Out of all three, Nuriko's appearance remained relatively unchanged as to when he first set out in their rescue mission. However the bitter cold had caught up with him as he continued shivering and shaking the snow from his clothes muttering something under his breath about how water and silk did not mixed.

Kayla looked a bit worse with his hair relatively mused from its style (though the flower blossom had managed to stay on… crooked) and a rather nasty bruise on his left cheek. Other than that, the boy looked unharmed and uncaring of his disheveled appearance. Although the odd thing that stuck out the most about the boy was his change in outfit. He was no longer wearing the pretty blue and yellow dress that he had left in but instead wore some unrecognizable beige and green top and pants that were too big on his small frame and clashes terribly with the boy's black and violet hair.

Miaka didn't look any better than the other two even though her clothes had remained the same (_and__ intact _with no apparent struggle much to Tamahome's profound relief). One of the signature buns that the girl's hair usually remained in had became undone, her green eyes were red and slightly swollen from crying too long and like Kayla, also sporting a nasty bruise on one of her cheeks. And if one was looking hard enough, you could see the beginnings of more bruising around the girl's neck (something that Tamahome was NOT happy about).

All three remained ignorant of the shock they have caused in the other members of their group until Nuriko started to notice how quiet it was. He turned to his fellow Seishi, only to find them staring back at them like a bunch of gaping idiots. He would have found it all amusing if he wasn't freezing his butt off in the first place. Nuriko snorted uncharacteristically. "Well what are you guys just standing there for? We're back, shouldn't you be celebrating or at least say hello?" he snapped irritatingly.

That seemed to break everyone out of their dazed-spell and their reactions were instantaneous and varied.

Miaka, who had been shivering miserably from the cold, suddenly found herself encompassed in a pair of warm, strong arms, her senses overwhelmed by an achingly familiar presence that nearly made her collapse with a sense of relief and joy.

"Tamahome," she whispered, her voice constricted with emotions. She returned the hug fiercely and buried her face into the man's chest, not trusting herself to not cry from the overwhelming emotions bubbling inside her. She thought she was never going to see him again, there was so much she wanted to tell him. To everyone. She wanted to tell them how sorry she was, how she had missed them all so terribly, how scared she was…

"Tamahome I…"

"Shhh… hush, it's alright Miaka, you don't have to say anything." Tamahome said soothingly, tightening his hold on his miko, all his initial stress and determination drained from his person leaving only a very tired man. A very tired but happy man who felt at that moment, that everything was right in the world again.

Kayla watched the happy reunited couple and a soft smile fell upon her lips. They had did it, they had all got out of that place with only a few minor scrapes, bruises and of course, a few mishaps (if you can call having her secret accidentally revealed to the miko a slight _'mishap'_). However her feelings of content was short-lived and the smile faded from her lips when she noticed Tasuki making his way towards her in a determined stride, his piercing amber eyes never leaving her person.

It was all Kayla could do to prevent herself from stepping back from the man's intensive gaze and went into hiding behind Nuriko. Just facing him now brought back all kinds of mixed emotions and too-fresh memories of _that _particular event. All at once she was experiencing feelings of embarrassment, fear, confusion all hinted with a bit of anger. However, there was oddly even a sense of relief that clashed violently with all the other negative emotions within her at the sight of him.

When Tasuki reached within a foot of her, he said nothing at first. A frown graced his features while his eyes traveled from her head to toe and then back up again. Kayla felt her face heated up at the man's roaming eyes while her annoyance grew overshadowing her underlying nervousness. "What?" she demanded hotly. "You're acting like you never seen me before!"

Tasuki said nothing though his eyes had stopped its roaming but stared fixatedly into her own. "What happened to your clothes?" he asked suspiciously.

Kayla tensed and unconsciously fiddled with ends of her too-long foreign sleeves in a nervous habit. The excited chatter around them instantly grew silent as everyone else other than Tasuki grew curious about her little change in appearance. With her ruined dress no longer able to hide her secret anymore (what a paradox!), ever-so-resourceful Nuriko had randomly _'borrowed' _a set of clothes from one of the bandits' wardrobe for her as a substitute. Knowing there was no way she could explain her change of clothes without revealing too much, Kayla found herself in a bind.

_Damn__it__ I __knew__ it __was __too __much__ to __hope __that __they __would __be __too __relieved__ to __see __us __without __asking __questions__ about __my __clothes _Kayla thought grimly. She ignored the little voice in her head that insisted that she was hoping that a specific certain flamed-hair Seishi wouldn't have noticed. She had been so busy feeling relieved from getting out of the Kaiori stronghold that she hadn't taken the time to think of a reasonable explanation for her little change. Now because of her lack of hindsight, the situation had came back to bite her in the ass. _Nice __going __Kayla…__lets __just__ see __how __you're __going__ to __get __yourself__ out__ of __this __mess._

"Ummm…" Kayla stalled as she searched her mind for a convincing reason. "I couldn't wear those clothes anymore."

"And why the hell not?" Tasuki demanded.

_None __of __your __damn__ business_was what Kayla wanted to shout at the meddlesome man's face but knew that it would only served to make the whole situation all the more suspicious if she was acting all defensive. "My clothes were accidentally… damaged." At least everything she was saying so far was true. Just in very vague details.

However unknown to Kayla, the poor girl did not know that her vague explanation only served to fuel the dreaded feelings of uncertainties that were already growing in the short-tempered Seishi mind. _Just__ what__ the __hell __did __he__ mean__ 'accidentally__ damaged'__ Why__ the __hell __is __he __so__ nervous __over__ a __simple __fucking__ question_? Tasuki thought frustratingly as he tried to figure out the boy's odd behavior. Then a terrible thought came to him and stopped him cold.

The ruined clothes, the nervous reaction, the bruises and rumpled appearance and Kayla's reluctant and vague explanation all pointed to _one_ conclusion. It was all so obvious that Tasuki wanted to slap himself for not realizing it sooner. Being a bandit himself, he was all too aware what bandits will sometimes do to their prisoners especially the young ones. Though there were strict rules with the Leikaku bandits that all they ever steal were materialistic valuables like money and jewels, he knew that not all bandits were that virtuous. And it would only make sense for the Leikaku leader to jump to _that _conclusion.

If Tasuki was thinking rationally, he could have countered the reasoning behind _that_ conclusion with these two perspective:

1. Kayla was a boy and therefore should be relatively safe from any ill-lustful intentions.

2. Kayla could defend himself relatively well from said ill-lustful intentions.

However one could also counter these rational perspective from another point-of-view.

1. Kayla being a boy does NOT save him from the fact that his disguise as a girl was enough encourage anyone foolish enough to act upon their ill-lustful intentions.

2. Not to mention that Tasuki's previous little stunt did very little to discourage any attempts made on the boy-turned-girl and carrying out their… ill-lustful intentions.

And most importantly…

3. Tasuki was never really one to think rationally especially when he is in a fit of rage to begin with.

Tightening his fists in an effort to reign in his temper and his protective instincts from going berserk, Tasuki could barely prevent himself from taking Kayla by the shoulders and shaking him senseless and demanding answers. _Suzaku __help__ me __if__ I__find __out__ that __those __bastards__ did __something __to __him…_

"What do you mean… _'damaged'_?" he asked, his voice rising a bit louder on the last word, his eyes never leaving the boy searching for anymore clues to the truth of what had happened to him.

Kayla bit her lip, not knowing how to answer the man's question without revealing that her clothes had been ruined from being ambushed by the leader. While that explanation was reasonable, it would have drawn too closely to the fact of how shaken she was from the incident that had almost resulted in her killing someone in cold blood and in Miaka finding out her secret. Suzaku knows that the last thing she wanted to do was to draw more attention to herself and to her closely guarded secret.

As selfish as it may seemed, it was self-preservation that prevented her from saying anything. There was just something about Tasuki's behaviour that was making her nervous and reluctant to reveal to him anything about the attack. Kayla didn't know what to make out of Tasuki's weird actions. Why was he so adamant on finding out in what happened to her clothes? She could tell that he was tense and angry for reasons she couldn't understand. Was he angry at her? If so, then why? If anything it should be _her _that should be angry with _him_. Did he suspected something? The thought filled her with dread. "I…" she struggled to find the words.

"Miaka, you're looking a little pale and that's a pretty nasty bruise on your face. Maybe we should all head back to the inn and get Mitsukake to look at that."

Everyone was startled to hear Nuriko interruption to Kayla's words… including the miko herself.

"I am? Ouch! I _AM… _Oh I think I'm feeling a little dizzy too…" Miaka said dramatically as she swayed a little on the side conveniently into Tamahome's embrace once again. While normally there was no way that anyone could be fooled by such a display, the Suzaku Seishi were unwilling to take any chances with their miko's wellbeing especially after almost losing her before.

"Nuriko's right. We should all head back to the inn right now. We will be safer there than out here at least." Tamahome said as he began leading his miko out the door. The other Suzaku Seishi soon followed compliantly knowing that the blue-haired Seishi was right and that they were all feeling tired after such a trying day. One by one, everyone left until all that was left was Nuriko, Kayla and Tasuki.

Nuriko turned to the two other individuals in the room. One seemed relatively confused at the sudden change in the situation while the other just seemed pissed that Nuriko had managed to interrupt his interrogation. Nuriko calmly smiled at them, ignoring the glare his comrade was sending him. "Well come on guys, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" With that he turned to follow the rest of group.

Snapped out of her daze, Kayla immediately followed the violet-haired Seishi footsteps, knowing that she once again owe her friend for saving her from another binding situation. If Nuriko had not taken the opportunity to draw everyone's attention away from her, she would still be standing there answering to Tasuki's endless interrogation.

Honestly, she didn't know how much longer she could have lasted under those scrutinizing fiery eyes.

As she walked closely behind Nuriko outside and into empty street of their temporary stronghold, Kayla could hear the telltale footsteps crunching in the snow closely behind her. Even without turning her head, she could still feel the burning gaze of the fiery Seishi boring into the back of her head. Kayla resisted the urge to shudder. A shudder that had nothing to do with the cold night air and the damp clothing on her back. It was then that she had another revelation.

Though Nuriko had managed to draw the attention away from her, he had only managed the stall the inevitable. Just like how she would be owing Miaka an explanation for her deception, she would eventually also have face Tasuki again. Too many things had happened over the course of few hours and it had caused a rift of tension to grow between them. But there were two problems:

1. She had no idea what was bothering the Leikaku bandit leader in the first place.

2. She had no clue as to how she was going to confront him.

And while Kayla was afraid of what this confrontation would mean for them, she valued Tasuki's friendship too much to just leave things the way they are between them whether she admitted it or not.

_It's __official. __Someone __up __there __hates __me_ Kayla thought miserably. She wrapped her arms protectively around herself to ward off another shudder while she continued to follow Nuriko.

She had no way of knowing that the man walking behind her was echoing similar sentiments… only with a lot more cursing.

* * *

Kayla looked at herself in the mirror for what seemed to be the sixth time already, scrutinizing her appearance as she turned her face from one way to the other. Her eyes narrowed before she headed back towards the water basin on a nearby table and started to wash her face again. The hot water had already cooled to a lukewarm temperature but Kayla found the cooled water to be more refreshing on her skin. She and her friends had been back at the inn for a couple of hours now and after Mitsukake had discharged her as being relatively healthy enough minus few minor scrapes (though she had managed to hide the aching bruise that was sporting on her side from the healer), she was only too glad to retreat back to her room to clean herself up. 

Though even after a quick private bath, changing back to her own clothes and fixing her hair back to its original plain long braid, she felt as if she could still feel the make-up on her face. Granted Nuriko hadn't placed a lot of it on her in the first place, being a girl who had never wore make-up in all of her life, it had felt foreign on her and suffocating. It had felt much too… exposing. Having on make-up felt like writing words on her face that were screaming out her secret for the whole world to read. So feeling paranoid, she was adamant in washing out every single speck that even suggested she was wearing the feminine product.

After drying her face again, she was startled when the door to the room suddenly opened. Didn't she locked the door? She calmed again when she saw that it was Nuriko. Only the occupants of the room would have the keys. Given that she and Nuriko would be sharing the same room for the night, it would make sense that the violet-haired Seishi would have keys to their room. Still, she wished her friend would have warned her first before entering.

"You could have knocked first. I could have been still bathing." Kayla said annoyed, feeling her face heating up at the embarrassing thought of having someone unexpectedly walked in on her bathing.

One of Nuriko's delicate eyebrows rose skeptically. "You've been in here for a long time. Even _I_ didn't took so long in cleaning myself up. I doubted that you were still bathing so I just walked in."

"You could have walked in on me changing!" Kayla protested, her face still burning.

"And were you?" Nuriko asked amusedly.

"Well… no…" Kayla admitted, her face cooling down a bit but frowned. "Still, it's a matter of principle. You still should have knocked."

Nuriko chuckled. "Alright, next time I need to walk into _our _room, I'll be sure to knock first."

"Thank you."

"However, the idea in walking in on you changing might be interesting," Nuriko said contemplatively as if considering whether or not he should have an afternoon walk in the garden.

Kayla balked at the Nuriko's words as she felt her face heated again . Surely, Nuriko wouldn't… "WHAT?" She bit out a strangled reply.

"Don't get me wrong. I would only like to observe from a strictly curiosity standpoint. I mean, I would like to know how you managed to fool everyone for so long into thinking that you are a guy." Nuriko continued on contemplatively as if he hadn't noticed Kayla's shock. "Tell me, do you have any other methods other than all those layers of clothes you use to hide yourself. You must wear some kind of binding of course. What's your secret? Can I see?"

"NURIKO… Don't you… even… DARE!" Kayla grounded out, her face was so red that she was sure that she would get dizzy from the constant sudden changes in blood rush to her head. Then she caught the mischievous twinkle in the Seishi's violet eyes and knew that the Nuriko was teasing her again. "Not funny," she grumbled, but couldn't bring herself to stay angry at her friend for too long.

Nuriko laughed hard at her sullen expression. "Come on Kayla, I'm hurt that you would think for one second that I would try anything like that," he said teasingly, acting like he had been deeply wounded by her words.

Kayla didn't say anything. She honestly wasn't sure what to think when her friend made such a comment. Nuriko was… well Nuriko. Someone who was always teasing her and sometimes surprising her in the most unexpected manner like just now.

Nuriko stopped laughing when he noticed Kayla's silence. "You _do_ know that right?" he asked more solemnly. "That I would never take advantage of you like that." Though the alto-toned in his voice was light, the slight hurt in his voice was evident.

Kayla wanted to kick herself. She felt like the worst person possible for doubting Nuriko. Nuriko was her friend. Her friend who was so beautiful inside and out. Someone who had treated her like a close sister and always been there to help her whenever she was in a bind. Someone who had kept her secret even though he had no reason to other than the sole reason that he was her friend. Nuriko was Nuriko.

She quickly crossed the few steps towards the sadden Seishi and gave him a hug wholeheartedly hoping to express even a bit of the overwhelming gratitude she felt for his person. "I do know Nuriko, I really do," she whispered. "You have no idea how lucky you make me feel having you as a friend."

Surprised and touched, Nuriko looked down at the dark crown of the girl's head, feeling her arms around his waist. His heart unexpectedly ached tenderly for the girl. He had been so worried for a moment when he thought Kayla didn't trust him. Other then his beloved little sister Kourin who had died all those many years ago and his miko Miaka, Kayla was the third girl he had ever felt equivalent to the intensity of care he felt towards the opposite sex. However, unlike Kourin or Miaka, whom he was destined to love from the moment he was born, his feelings (which he had come to associate with as love) was different. Different in a way that he _chose _to love Kayla, love her like she was family, care for her like he would as he would his own sister, and protect her with the same fierceness as he had for his miko. It was his choice. A choice that he didn't for one moment, regret.

Therefore, imagine to his relief when Kayla had wrapped her arms around him in an act of pure compassionate faith and told him how much he meant to her as a friend. He hadn't even realized just how deep his feelings for her ran until that pure agonizing moment when he saw the hesitation in Kayla's eyes and how much it had hurt. The signs had been there now that he reflected upon it, and wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. Kayla had became very dear to him and he would hurt anyone who would so much as harm a hair on the girl's head including a certain hot-tempered comrade whom he suspected Kayla may have growing feelings for for some time. Only the clueless girl was so inexperienced in the matter of the heart, she didn't even realized just what her feelings meant.

Not to mentioned Nuriko also suspect that for some time now, Kayla's feelings were reciprocated whether the hot-tempered Seishi was aware of his own feelings or not. And Tasuki being the ignorant baka (never minding that he still believes that Kayla is a boy) was probably _not_. Even though it was plain obvious that the way he treats Kayla was far differently then he treated anyone else. Sure, they argue and fight like cats and dogs but it didn't stopped Tasuki's eyes from straying to Kayla if only to check for what seem like the hundredth time during the day that the girl was alright when he thought that no one was looking. Or the way that the man's amber eyes will seem to lit up whenever she would enter the room or when he talks/argues with her. Or how protective(or sometimes irrational) he would become when there was even a slight hint that she would be hurt. Well if all these signs weren't proof of Tasuki having some feelings for Kayla (boy or not) then Nuriko would admit that he was ugly. Which was impossible of course.

"Hey are you done cleaning yourself up already? The rest of the group have already started on their dinner and waiting for you so that we could discuss strategy in what we are to do next." Nuriko asked when he finally stepped away from the girl's embrace, and giving her a thorough look over. Other than the bruise on her face, she looked fine and Nuriko was unsure why Kayla would have taken so long to prepare herself.

"Oh!" Kayla exclaimed and her eyes dropped in embarrassment and shame. "I'm sorry, I didn't realized that I was holding everyone else up. I thought you guys would just start discussing without me, not that I'd mind if you guys do after all I'm not…mmmphh." She was cut short when Nuriko placed a hand on her mouth effectively stopping her nervous rambling.

Nuriko smiled at the endearing girl as she stared back at him in puzzlement. Her amber eyes questioning in what he could possibly find so amusing. He slowly removed his hand away from her mouth when he was sure that she was not going to argue or continue her rambling. "Do you honestly think that we would start without you? Please Kayla, you're part of the team. There was no way we would start planning without wanting your opinions too."

Kayla blinked as Seishi's words sank into her mind. to them. _They__ really __feel __that __I'm__ one __of __them? __Despite __the __fact __that __I'm__ practically __someone __who __had __just __stumbled__ upon __their __group__ without __an__ explanation__ in __who__ I__ am__ or __what __my __past__ is? __Did __it __not __matter? _All these questions swarm within her mind. Part of her was afraid to believe in her friend's words but a larger part of her, the same part that had been so broken from many years spent in slaving for her relatives, was crying out and clutching to the possibility that every single word that the Seishi's words were sincere. She really wanted to believe in those words. You could even say that she was desperate in believing so.

That she was really accepted by them.

But something always held her back from falling too deep in hoping.

Would they still be so accepting of her after she told them the truth about herself? That she had been lying to them all this time?

She studied Nuriko who was smiling back at her with his violet eyes radiating with trust and concern for her. Nuriko had been accepting of her secret. Miaka had been accepting as well even though the poor miko had been so startled by the discovery at first. Was she ready to let the others know as well? Was she ready to risk all their friendships? Was she ready to risk _his _trust?

"So are you ready to go or not?" Nuriko asked a bit impatiently if not a bit worriedly, unaware of the inner battle that was raging within Kayla as she stood there unresponsive to his first question.

Kayla snapped out of her thoughts, feeling a bit guilty that she was worrying her friend again. "I…" she started before swallowing nervously. "I think so," she answered quietly. She felt like she was sealing her fate when she had spoken those three simple words.

Nuriko said nothing when he noticed the girl's nervousness but only continued to look worriedly at the girl's back when he lead her to meet the rest of their friends.

* * *

**Author's****Notes**

Yeah finally chapter 20 is up. Sorry for taking so long again. We were going through a writer's block and we were really stuck for a bit. But luckily its over now and we're back on track.

Thank you readers for all the support you have given us. Your patience forever astounds us.

This little part of the story about Miaka's kidnapping is taking longer than we expected but we think it had actually became another turning point for Kayla and the conflicts she went through had actually made her realize a few dilemmas that she was unwilling to face before. First and foremost concerning her secret, her close friendships with Miaka and Nuriko and of course, the awkward (if not amusing) relationship she has with Tasuki (and vice versa) LOL.

Poor Tasuki is really protective of Kayla and most of the time he is unsure why when it is plain obvious to some people _'cough' _Nuriko '_cough'_

Isnt' Nuriko just the sweetest? _Sigh_

And Miaka, she really pulled through in the end.

Next chapter: More Tasuki and Kayla interactions, more sparks and maybe… hmmm… a jealous tirade? Oh dear…

Love Always and Sincerely,  
Twin Girls _  
_


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